Bishop raises hell after woke priest allows homosexual ABC broadcaster to receive Eucharist beside his 'husband'



Bishop Joseph Strickland, the cleric removed from his office in Tyler, Texas, in 2023 by the late Pope Francis, urged his colleagues gathered on Wednesday for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' plenary assembly to address the matter of a woke priest's apparent willingness to run afoul of the church's custom and to turn a hallowed Catholic ceremony into a non-straight spectacle.

Gio Benitez, a homosexual ABC News correspondent who is "married" to a man, apparently decided after Pope Francis' passing last year to make his way back to the Catholic Church. Benitez, who was allegedly baptized in secret at the age of 15, was confirmed at St. Paul the Apostle's Church in New York City on Nov. 8.

'Here we are talking about doctrine.'

"My Confirmation Mass was a very small gathering of family and friends who have quietly been with me on this journey," Benitez wrote on Instagram. "I found the Ark of the Covenant in my heart, stored there by the one who created me… exactly as I am."

The ABC News correspondent also received holy communion from the church's woke pastor, Rev. Eric Andrews, at the highly publicized mass where LGBT activist Fr. James Martin was a concelebrant and where Benitez's "husband" served as his sponsor.

Blaze News reached out to Rev. Andrews for comment, but did not receive a response.

While the Catholic Church holds that homosexual acts are "acts of grave depravity," "intrinsically disordered," "contrary to the natural law," and "can under no circumstances" be approved, the Catechism states that homosexual persons must nevertheless "be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity."

RELATED: New head of US Catholic Bishops said he would deny communion to pro-abortion politicians

Bishop Joseph Strickland. Photo by Craig F. Walker/Boston Globe via Getty Images

The church has also made clear that Catholics with same-sex attraction who are chaste can "participate fully in the spiritual and sacramental life of the Catholic faith community."

However, those who regularly engage in sexual activity or are partners in a committed homosexual relationship that includes regular sexual relations are not to receive holy communion or serve in public ministries.

"Receiving the sacrament is the ultimate expression of our Catholic faith, an intensely personal matter between communicant and priest," wrote the late and posthumously exonerated Cardinal George Pell. "It's not a question of refusing homosexuals or someone who is homosexually oriented. The rule is basically the same for everyone."

"If a person is actually engaged in — by public admission, at any given time — a practice contrary to Church teaching in a serious matter, then that person is not entitled to receive Holy Communion," continued Pell. "This would apply, for example, to a married person openly living in adultery. Similarly, persons who openly declare themselves active homosexuals take a position which makes it impossible for them to receive Holy Communion."

During a USCCB discussion of doctrine on Wednesday, Bishop Strickland raised the matter of Benitez's highly publicized reception of holy communion while flanked by his "husband."

"I don't know how many of us have seen on the social media priests and others gathered, celebrating the confirmation of a man living with a man openly," said Strickland. "It just needs to be addressed. Father James Martin once again involved. Great pictures of all of them smiling."

Bishop Strickland and Martin have traded barbs over the years, largely around Martin's subversive LGBT activism and apparent efforts to liberalize the Catholic Church's stance on such matters.

Martin — who shared an article titled "Gio Benitez, Openly Gay ABC Anchor, Joins the Catholic Church" on social media this week with the caption "Happy to be a part of your journey!" — has made no secret of his activism. For instance, he took issue with the Supreme Court's June 2025 decision to let parents opt their children out of lessons featuring LGBT propaganda and insinuated that homosexual persons aren't really bound by church teaching.

"Here we are talking about doctrine," continued Strickland. "I just thought I need to raise that issue. I know it's not part of any agenda, but this body gathered, we need to address it."

The panel, focused on updated ethical and religious directives for Catholic health care services, did not take up Strickland's concern.

The Catholic Herald noted that Strickland's tenure as bishop of Tyler was "marked by a reputation for directness, a strong emphasis on Eucharistic devotion, and a willingness to challenge trends in the wider Church that he believed risked undermining the clarity of Catholic teaching."

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This crisis in churches is real. Will Christians fight back?



A new study has uncovered an alarming trend: Fewer regular churchgoers believe the Bible is clear on transgenderism and homosexuality.

The survey — conducted by the Family Research Council and the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University — found that only 47% of regular churchgoers believe that scripture is "clear and decisive" about "whether homosexuality is morally acceptable." That's a significant decline from 63% in 2023.

The moment believers treat biblical truth as negotiable, Christians become yet another cultural echo chamber.

Researchers, meanwhile, found that 26% believe the Bible is "unclear or ambiguous" about homosexuality, while another 16% said they believe scripture doesn't address the issue.

Even worse, only 40% of regular churchgoers said the Bible is "clear and decisive" on "whether transgenderism is morally acceptable," a 12-point drop from 2023. Nearly a quarter (23%) said they believe the Bible is "unclear and ambiguous" on trans ideology, while 24% said they believe the Bible doesn't address it.

These results demonstrate that American churches are experiencing a crisis of biblical truth.

But how?

But these results are surprising for two important reasons, not least of which is that they appear to refute suggestions of a Christian revival in America.

First, while these are two issues central to the progressive project that have largely become cultural orthodoxy, a growing number of young people are rejecting the left's version of the good life. Thus, you'd expect the data to reflect the trend away from progressivism and toward objective truth.

Second, the Bible is by no means unclear or ambiguous on either issue — no matter what "progressive Christians" say.

On homosexuality, the Bible establishes in Genesis that central to the union of man and woman (i.e., marriage) is the ability to reproduce. This prescription is reaffirmed countless times. Jesus even cites Genesis when challenged about the true purpose of marriage (hint: He does not affirm homosexuality). Moreover, as the fledgling church grappled with questions of sexual morality, the apostles affirmed that sexual immorality of any kind — that is, porneia, or any sexual activity beyond the confines of a marriage between one man and one woman — is sinful and contrary to God's design. This, of course, includes homosexuality.

On transgenderism, Genesis is clear: God created man and woman, a complementary pair that reflects the divine union. God chooses our gender for us — not our feelings.

So what do we do?

First, we must name this for what it is: not a cultural or data problem, but a discipleship problem. The Bible hasn't changed, and scripture isn't suddenly vague. The truth is that many pastors and churches have gone quiet on these important issues, which demand moral and biblical clarity.

Silence has a cost, and now the bill is due. When pulpits grow timid, the pews grow confused.

Second, Christians must recover confidence in the Bible's authority. God's word is true and timeless. It doesn't need to be apologized away or reinterpreted to acquiesce to our cultural moment. It speaks as clearly today as it always has. Cultures and politics may change, but God's truth remains the same.

The moment believers treat biblical truth as negotiable, Christians become yet another cultural echo chamber — and lose their saltiness.

RELATED: The poisoned stream of culture is flowing through our churches

ChristinLola/iStock/Getty Images Plus

Third, Christian leaders must teach clearly, intentionally, and with conviction what the Bible says about sex, marriage, and human identity. Christians today are drowning in confusion, as this study proves. They desperately need clarity, truth, and courage to stand up for biblical truth and to live it out.

Finally, Christians must take heart and remember that decline isn't defeat. It's never the end of the story. Every generation of God's people has faced moments of crisis and confusion. Revival is found on the other side of those moments. And it happens when ordinary Christians rediscover and reaffirm the power of God's word and refuse to bow to cultural idols.

But that renewal only comes when Christians stop apologizing for what God has already made clear, is making clear, and will continue to make clear.

Now is the moment for Christians to decide what kind of witness they will be. One that bends to the culture? Or one that stands firm on the Rock? The world is desperate for truth. Thankfully, we have access to God of truth, and in the end, He wins.

Mamdani’s false Tolerance Boulevard ends in darkness



Everybody knows the real victims of 9/11 weren’t the 3,000 murdered Americans or their grieving families. No, according to the new progressive hierarchy, it’s Zohran Mamdani’s second cousin — thrice removed, four times hijabed — who claims she was once offended on the subway. Allegedly.

So if you’re keeping score at home in the “words are violence” sweepstakes, here’s the latest update: Something that probably never happened is righteous if it helps an Islamic socialist become mayor of America’s largest city. Meanwhile, Virginia’s Democratic candidate for attorney general gets a pass for fantasizing about the murder of a Republican lawmaker and his family.

Nothing new under the sun. Just another civilization sprinting toward its chosen darkness, proud all the way.

You’d think New Yorkers might have enough self-respect not to be played so easily — especially when it comes to one of the most fateful days in American history. But no. Apparently Loki was right. They were made to be ruled — and by the very people who treat the ashes of Ground Zero as a holiday display.

I’d wager real money that at least one family member of a 9/11 victim will vote for Mamdani next week. Loki, it seems, must have read John Calvin at some point in his multiverse journey: When God wants to punish a rebellious people, He gives them wicked rulers.

The worldview beneath the wreckage

We can’t outrun our worldview. Because worldview is destiny. When a people deny reality, they descend into madness. That’s what’s happening to those voting for Mamdani. They are largely godless, and once you reject the author of reality, you’re on a short, steep slide toward hell.

Hell, for its part, knows how to work with human nature. The devil discovered long ago that our fallen desire to shake a fist at God rivals even his own. That’s how you get from watching the Twin Towers fall to, just 25 years later, electing a man who shares the same ideology as one of the hijackers.

Not secretly. Not reluctantly. These voters are proud of it. They’ll call friends and family “racists” and “Nazis” for disagreeing. Such is the will to power when you reject God: The world must be turned upside down and morality twisted into a hall of mirrors.

When even Ayn Rand saw the abyss

Ayn Rand, no friend of Christianity, at least saw the problem. In an interview late in life, she told Phil Donahue that without some objective truth in the universe, nothing else made sense. Why do we reason instead of acting on instinct like animals? Rand recognized, however dimly, that a world without truth collapses into nihilism.

But that clarity is rare. Rand was a unicorn. Most people in her camp never do the math. They end up voting for their captors, praising their murderers, and calling it freedom.

The short version is simple: If you’re not in Christ’s camp, you belong to chaos. There are no neutral parties. Hell is happy to let you think otherwise — right up to the moment the darkness slams the door shut.

The believer’s tension — and the city’s choice

Every true believer wrestles with the tension between judgment and mercy. We are commanded to love God with our whole heart, mind, and strength — and to love our neighbor as ourselves. You can’t be “nicer than God,” but you must strive to let mercy triumph over judgment whenever you can.

RELATED: Zohran Mamdani’s Soviet dream for New York City

Photo by: Lindsey Nicholson/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

New York doesn’t care. The city long ago chose the darkness, which knows no such tension. Evil allows the illusion of tolerance until the moment comes to plant its flag.

By all means, take one more stroll down Tolerance Boulevard, Big Apple, and see where it ends. You’ll find it’s a one-way street to annihilation.

The math checks out

New York has made its peace with godlessness. First it worshiped the idol of corporate power. Then it voted for Sandinista Bill de Blasio’s Marxism. Now it’s ready to give the false god of Islam a chance to shatter its soul completely. The math checks out every time.

Nothing new under the sun. Just another civilization sprinting toward its chosen darkness, proud all the way.

God help us all.

Joe Rogan, Christian? The podcaster opens up about his ongoing exploration of faith



Joe Rogan may not be ready to call himself a Christian, but the former atheist does find himself rubbing shoulders with believers on many a Sunday.

The podcaster once again revealed details about his ongoing exploration of the faith, including his habit of regularly attending church.

'It's almost like everybody is under a spell.'

He also demonstrated a newfound appreciation of why someone would need God in his or her life. When recent podcast guest Francis Foster expressed amazement at how much a friend of his could rely on religion as a foundation for getting through tough times, Rogan didn't seem nearly as surprised.

"If you really do believe that, it definitely will help you," the comedian concurred.

Church going

At that point, fellow guest — and Foster's "Triggernometry" podcast co-host — Konstantin Kisin chimed in that he himself had been becoming more religious.

"I haven't got there, but I have started going to church every now and again," Kisin explained.

"Do you enjoy it?" Rogan asked.

"I love it," responded Kisin.

"I do too," confessed Rogan, adding, "It's a bunch of people that are going to try to make their lives better. They're trying to be a better person."

Rogan then described his church experience as getting together with a group of people who read and analyze Bible passages.

"I'm really interested in what these people were trying to say because I don't think it's nothing," Rogan said.

No 'fairy tale'

From there, the New Jersey native addressed claims he has heard from atheists and secularists who dismiss Christianity as being "foolish."

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The 58-year-old pushed back against the characterization that Christianity as a collection of "fairy tales" by "self-professed intelligent people," noting that a proper understanding of the faith requires considering historical context, translation difficulties, and oral vs. written tradition.

"I think there's something to what they're saying," Rogan offered.

Trust the science

While noting that modern science has found physical evidence for the biblical flood story told in Genesis, Rogan said he also appreciated the Bible as a compelling depiction of society 6,000 years ago.

Further segments in the podcast revealed that, perhaps due to a renewed interest in faith, Rogan's algorithm may have even changed.

RELATED: Dave Landau shares gritty journey with Joe Rogan — from Zoloft struggles and addiction to comedy redemption

- YouTube

This became evident when the group discussed some of Kisin's protest journalism, where he asks befuddled liberals the reason they are attending the current protest of the day.

In response, Rogan pointed to a video of a man doing interviews at a left-wing No Kings protest. The man asks attendees if they believe in human rights, to which they affirm, until they are asked about human rights "in the womb," which is when they dismiss the idea.

"It's almost like everybody is under a spell," Rogan laughed.

Rogan first confirmed he was going to church in June, after hinting at the idea that he was becoming more religious. He described his attendance similarly at that time:

"It's actually very nice; they're all just trying to be better people."

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The gospel according to David French: A study in betrayal



What do you call someone who thinks drag queen story hour better embodies “liberty” than Americans buying Bibles in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s martyrdom? I’ll tell you — and, let me assure you, I choose my words here with theological precision.

David French is a satanic slanderer of the brethren. In my view, he’s become an instrument of deception, and I’ll explain why.

If poetic justice prevailed, David French’s byline would read ‘Judas.’ May he enjoy the potter’s field he’s bought for himself.

Charlie Kirk’s legacy speaks for itself. Nearly everyone who spent time with the murdered founder of Turning Point USA left more grounded in the gospel than they were before. Even Donald Trump Jr., during Charlie’s memorial service, spoke to millions about St. Stephen — the church’s first martyr — because friendship with a man who had given his life and last breath to God bore visible fruit.

French, like Kirk, enjoys a powerful platform. From his perch at the New York Times — the epicenter of America’s corporate media machine — he can influence an elite readership. Yet what evidence shows that his faith leads anyone closer to Christ? None.

Instead, French routinely simps for the spirit of the age, mocking what is good, true, and beautiful. The man once known for moral clarity has become a parody of himself — Joe Biden with less drool and better diction.

French should not be engaged as a serious Christian thinker. He should be exposed and rebuked as what he has become: an agent of deception. As the apostle Paul wrote of Demas, his former companion who “loved this present world,” French has traded salt and light for relevance and applause.

Believers must guard against such turncoats as faith becomes costlier and clearer in our time. Scripture warns repeatedly about impostors who infiltrate the church, seeking to poison it from within. Paul named names in his epistles. He called out the frauds without apology. He didn’t leave the flock guessing about where the danger lay.

Today’s “nicer than God” crowd would scold Paul for being uncharitable. But Charlie Kirk understood that clarity, not niceness, wins spiritual battles. His campus Q&As didn’t leave students guessing about the truth. You might not have liked every answer, but you knew exactly what was at stake. That conviction, lived to the point of death, is what faith demands.

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Photo by Michael Nigro/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images

Our faith is the cross, so all of us must provide an unambiguous understanding of the gospel and what it costs.

French’s conduct offers the opposite lesson. His public witness bears no fruit. He delights in the approval of secular elites who despise the gospel. He preens before the godless No Kings crowd, too vain to notice his own descent. Even the biblical warning about millstones and those who lead children astray doesn’t give him pause. He’s chosen his side: deceit and damnation.

I’ve mostly ignored French’s unraveling in recent years. But Charlie is dead, and I won’t let my friend — or the gospel — be caricatured by a man who has become nothing short of a terrorist to the faithful. French couldn’t tie Charlie Kirk’s shoes, which may explain his bitterness. He’s rewriting history to cheapen Charlie’s sacrifice.

How dare he.

You can’t hold such covetous slander in too much contempt. If poetic justice prevailed, French’s byline would read “Judas.” May he enjoy the potter’s field he’s bought for himself. The hireling always receives his reward in full.

Why Calling Charlie Kirk A Martyr Matters

Charlie Kirk’s murder was not simply the death of a man, but a spiritual assault in a spiritual war between Good and Evil.

How Charlie Kirk’s popularity exposes the cost of silent pulpits



The sudden wave of grief and admiration from young people after Charlie Kirk’s death caught many parents and grandparents off guard. High-schoolers and college students didn’t just know his name — they were fans. They followed him closely, quoted him, and saw him as a guide in confusing times.

But why? Kirk was not a movie star, athlete, or pop-culture influencer. He didn’t set fashion trends or headline concerts. What made him connect so deeply with a generation?

Silence does not comfort the searching. It leaves them adrift.

The answer is simple: Charlie Kirk had answers.

While America’s pulpits too often fell silent about cultural issues, Kirk spoke plainly about them. And young people, desperate for clarity and confused about the way forward, finally had a leader.

Silence in the pulpit

I once interviewed a 19-year-old in Madison Square Park who was visibly frustrated. He insisted he didn’t hate women or minorities and wasn’t extreme politically. He simply wanted the chance to live his life without being branded a "bigot" because of his identity as a white male. His frustration wasn’t anger — it was despair.

What struck me was not just his words, but the hopelessness behind them.

If he attended most evangelical churches in America, he would not have found answers. Many churches, even when disagreeing with progressive ideas, avoid speaking against them. Instead, they sidestep controversy, hoping silence will win them credibility.

But silence does not comfort the searching. It leaves them adrift.

What young people face

Several years ago, a megachurch youth pastor asked me what challenges high-schoolers face. I told him this generation is drowning in questions of identity. They don’t know who they are, how to discern truth, or how to recover from failure. Depression and suicidal thoughts are widespread.

He dismissed my concerns until days later, when both gender-identity questions and suicidal struggles appeared in his ministry. Even then, when I offered to help equip his students, he rejected the offer — in anger.

RELATED: Charlie Kirk's legacy exposes a corrosive lie — and now it's time to choose

WoodyUpstate/Getty Images Plus

This isn’t an isolated story. For decades, many youth leaders have minimized cultural and moral questions, reducing Christianity to behavior management and vague encouragement. Students are left unprepared for the real battles they face.

Of course, I’m grateful for the pastors and leaders who reject this trend, but make no mistake: The trend was very real. Students needed answers. Charlie was giving them.

A hunger for clarity

That's why Kirk struck a chord. He didn't shy away from questions about gender, identity, politics, and morality. Agree or disagree with his conclusions, young people heard in him something they rarely heard from pastors: conviction.

When I was once given 50 minutes to “equip” high-school seniors for college with apologetics, I found the proposition laughable. You’ve had services twice a week for four years, and you think 50 minutes of apologetics is enough to prepare them for the lies and untruth they will face day in and day out?

But it illustrates the deeper problem — leaders who thought silence is safe. They were told by all the church gurus that if they were silent, somehow that would turn into gospel opportunities.

Big mistake. It isn’t until people know the truth that the truth will set them free. Silence brings slavery. And into that vacuum stepped Charlie Kirk.

The lesson for the church

Kirk’s popularity among young people should encourage us: This generation's young people are hungry for answers, and they are not turned off by clarity.

At the same time, it should warn us: If pastors will not equip the next generation with biblical truth about cultural issues, someone else will step in to fill the void.

Charlie Kirk did not captivate young people because he was trendy. He did it because he was clear. And that is precisely what too many pastors have been unwilling to be.

I’m thankful for the exceptions. Men like Rob McCoy, Jack Hibbs, David Engelhardt, and many others have been faithful to equip their congregations.

The challenge is before us now. Will the church continue in fearful silence? Or will it recover the courage to declare what scripture says — not just about heaven and hell, but about identity, morality, truth, and life in the public square?

Young people are listening, and they are desperate for your voice. Let’s learn from the life of Charlie Kirk and boldly speak truth in love.

A message to Christians after Michigan church shooting



Members of the church of Latter-day Saints faced a heavy weekend as the head of the church, Russel Nelson, passed away on the same morning that a man shot up an LDS church and set it on fire.

At least four were killed.

“Yesterday was a very tough day for anybody who is a member of my faith,” Blaze Media co-founder Glenn Beck says on “The Glenn Beck Program.”

“I did get a lot of emails from friends who are part of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and most of them were in tears because they were online, and they read the words of so-called Christians,” Glenn says.


These “so-called Christians” were saying things like, “I’m glad they’re dead,” “I’m glad the leader died,” “I’m glad those people died because they’re going to hell anyway because they’re a dangerous cult.”

“When I read that, I wept with the same kind of pain that I had on the death of Charlie Kirk when the non-Christians celebrated his death. ‘I’m glad he’s dead,’” Glenn recalls.

“If your church wasn’t talking about these things yesterday, maybe you should find a new church. I don’t know. There’s been a lot of things going on, and we need pastors that are actually talking about things. They’re not talking about politics; they’re talking about, ‘How do I love my neighbor if my neighbor hates me?’” he continues.

“We need people who are applying it to today, because I want you to understand, there is hatred on the rise. There is violence on the rise. There’s all of this stuff on the rise,” he says, asking, “But what is it really? What is really on the rise?”

He then answers himself with one word, “evil.”

“That’s what’s on the rise: evil, chaos, disorder. That all comes from one author, and it’s evil,” he says, before explaining another horrific murder that occurred in North Carolina over the weekend.

A “madman” targeted a crowded dockside restaurant in North Carolina, firing his rifle into a crowd of diners. He killed three people and injured eight.

“This is happening in small communities. And you’re like, what? What is happening to us?” Glenn says.

“We are now living in Gotham. And you need to understand that the times and the seasons have changed. We’re now living in Gotham, and this is all part of the leftist plan. Destabilize, release people from prison, cause chaos in the streets,” he continues. “This is by design.”

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Is This the Greatest Spiritual Revival in Decades? | Pastor Josh McPherson