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Twitter’s new boss, Elon Musk, has announced that the company has suspended the relaunch of its paid Blue Verified subscription program until they have a strong system in place to prevent the verification of impersonators such as a parody account of Jesus Christ with nearly 900,000 followers. The unidentified owner of the now-verified Jesus Christ account, who revealed they are not even religious, announced that they were easily able to pay for the verified check. Prior to the program's suspension, other verified users also falsely posed as LeBron James demanding a trade, George W. Bush attacking Iraqis and Eli Lilly & Co. cutting insulin prices to zero, The Wall Street Journal reported. Read more.

The Washington Post recently published a report alleging that Yale University pressures suicidal students to withdraw and then reapply to get back into the school, which is one of the world's most prestigious institutions of higher education. Yale University President Peter Salovey pushed back on the report, calling it "deeply disturbing for the misinformation it contains." In a statement responding to the report, Salovey argued that the article "fails to acknowledge the support, processes, and policies in place or the positive outcomes associated with our work." Last year, approximately 5,000 Yale students—accounting for 34% of the student population—sought mental health treatment, a 90% increase over 2015. The Post article contends that students suffering from suicidal thoughts were routinely encouraged to withdraw through policies designed to protect the university from litigation and reputational damage, leading some students to hide their mental health problems. Read more.

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CP VOICES

Pastor Caroline Barnett of the Los Angeles Dream Center in Echo Park reflects on the importance of gratitude and how researchers have tied thankfulness to long-term health and a fulfilling life. Noting that those who have their needs met this holiday season have many reasons to experience joy and gratefulness, Barnett encourages believers to remember those who are struggling, asking, "This holiday season, while many of us gather in the love and warmth of family and friends, can we also concern ourselves with ensuring that more individuals and families get to share that same experience?" Read more.

Wallace B. Henley writes about the collapse of the gates of Eden and describes how chaos has continued to press "in on the walls and gates of borderlands." The chaos brought on by sin and these "boundary battles" calls for a "new vision for churches and other potential agencies of resistance in our present madness," he writes. Read more.

A MESSAGE FROM Buttafuoco & Associates

"I couldn’t move, I couldn’t feel anything and so I just sat there in the car when the ambulance came and they pulled me out. You go into a hospital and they find that you have no insurance and you’re out of the hospital. I just felt thrown away at that particular time because I know for a fact that there were things that were supposed to have been done that were not done. I was not treated fairly but still I have to pay. I was nervous, I was scared, I didn't know what to expect, I didn't know where my life was going. I was in a dark place, coming through a dark tunnel, trying to see the light and they had the light for me. Until it all changed. Read more.

CHURCH & MINISTRIES

Pastor Kelly Williams of Vanguard Church in Colorado Springs, Colo., penned an op-ed in The Christian Post calling on Christians to "rise above the political fray and focus on God's glory" following a mass shooting at a nearby LGBT nightclub. Five people were killed and 25 others were wounded Saturday at Club Q, which is less than a mile from Williams' church. In his op-ed, Williams encouraged Christians to follow the command set forth by Christ in Romans 12:15 to "Grieve with those who grieve," writing, "In the sensitive moments soon after a tragedy, it is important we remember, as churches, we exist to live out the mission of Jesus to seek and save that which is lost. The best way to do so is to relate to our fellow image-bearers through the universal language we can all relate to: pain." Read more.

Canadian megachurch Pastor Leon Fontaine, who garnered attention for his refusal to adhere to ongoing and restrictive COVID-19 lockdown orders banning churches from holding in-person or drive-in worship gatherings, has died at age 59. An online video with Fontaine's five children confirmed that he passed away on Saturday evening, though no cause of death was mentioned. "I know you’re probably shocked and we’re really shocked too," said the late pastor's daughter, Danielle Fontaine Craig, as reported by the Winnipeg Sun. "The last couple of days all of a sudden it just took a really sharp turn that we really didn’t expect." Read more.

MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT

"Devotion," an aerial drama starring "Top Gun" actor Glen Powell, singer Joe Jonas and more, tells the true story of Jesse Brown, a Christian naval aviator who lost his life in service to his country. Based on the book by Adam Makos, the film follows the journey of Brown (Jonathan Majors) and Thomas Hudner (Powell), two elite Navy pilots during the Korean War. In an interview with The Christian Post, Majors explained, "Jesse Brown, for multiple reasons, has come to be my hero ... to tell his story and to be the mouthpiece for this brief time—his legacy is extremely important to me." By highlighting the heroic sacrifices made by those in the Korean War, often called the "Forgotten War," "Devotion" seeks to make today’s service members feel "seen and valued," Powell, who also served as an executive producer on the film, told CP. Watch the full interview now.