Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., sparked a still raging firestorm of reactions Sunday night when she compared an advertisement about Jesus during the Super Bowl to "fascism." Ocasio-Cortez responded to the He Gets Us ad in a tweet, writing, "Something tells me Jesus would *not* spend millions of dollars on Super Bowl ads to make fascism look benign." One of the 30-second ads from the "diverse group of Jesus followers" was titled "Be Childlike." Set to the soundtrack of Patsy Cline's "If I Could See the World," the spot urges people to be "childlike in humility, compassion, and gentleness." Still, Ocasio-Cortez chose to brand the message as "fascism" which some experts define as "a mass political movement that emphasizes extreme nationalism, militarism, and the supremacy of both the nation and the single, powerful leader over the individual citizen." Although a minority of individuals appeared to support her tweet, many, like author Michael Isenberg, dismissed her criticism as extreme. "… I watched the ads. Seems to me that if @AOC thinks the message ‘Love your enemies’ is fascist, that tells us more about her than the He Gets Us group," Isenberg replied. "In any case, I feel strongly that members of Congress should not opine on what should or should not air. There's always an implicit threat of legislation, which is inconsistent with our great First Amendment tradition." Read more.

WWBT of Richmond, Va., reports that William Blaine Jr. has been appointed as the special prosecutor to review the case against John Blanchard, pastor of Rock Church International in Virginia Beach. Blanchard was arrested as part of an undercover child sex crimes sting in 2021, but the charges against him were dropped in 2022. Blaine was appointed after the Chesterfield County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office in Virginia unsealed documents after emails emerged, shedding new light on the reason for the dropped charges and previously unknown evidence. News 6 reports that Republican state Delegate Tim Anderson obtained emails via a Freedom of Information Act request with Chesterfield police that revealed why Blanchard's case was treated differently from others arrested for soliciting prostitution from a minor. Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Alexander Michev said the charges were dropped after Commonwealth's Attorney Stacey Davenport reached a deal with Blanchard's defense attorney that the pastor would undergo a "psychosexual evaluation and sex offender-related counseling." Chesterfield Police Chief Jeffrey Katz called out Blanchard's differing treatment in a Jan. 10 Facebook post, writing that he believed "a public articulation of [Davenport's] rationale is warranted." Read more.

During the second year of the pandemic, birth rates among women 25-plus increased, data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show. Data released in January have revealed there were 3.7 million births in the U.S. in 2021, up 1% from 2020. Birth rates for women ages 25 to 44 went from 2% in 2020 to 5% in 2021. When broken down by age group, 25-to-29-year-olds saw a 2% increase, while women 30-to-34 saw a 3% increase. The former group experienced birth rate declines for all but one year from 2007 to 2020, while the latter saw declines from 2017 to 2020. The birth rate for women aged 35–39 saw a 5% increase from 2020, while women in their early 40s saw a 2% increase. Meanwhile, teen birth rates dropped 7%, continuing a downward trend dating back to 2009. Read more.

Robin Schumacher discusses why being able to express forgiveness is not a weakness but a strength. "In dealing with the wrongs He has experienced with us, God does not simply 'let it go.' Instead, He seeks out our acknowledgment of the offenses we have committed and then asks for justice to be done, for reconciliation and payment to be made," writes Schumacher. As such, "flexing forgiveness ... takes strength, a belief that you have innate moral value and worth, and deserve the justice needed to restore the broken relationship," he concludes. Read more.

As the school year presses on and young adults gear up for college in new places, author Tim Challies offers eight tips for parents whose children are leaving the nest. Among Challies' advice: begin loosening oversight before they leave so you are still nearby to provide guidance and a soft landing, treat them like adults by giving them adult privileges and requiring adult expectations, and help them find a good church in their new location. Read more.

Online dating can be a great way to meet new people– hopefully, your forever person–but it can also be challenging, frustrating, and discouraging. Whether you try a secular dating site or a Christian dating app, like Upward, you might feel like it’s not worth your time, energy, and effort. If you’re struggling with online dating as a Christian, here are four tips to help you stay positive, enjoy the process, and keep an open heart and mind. Read more

Jeff Kinley and Todd Hampson, authors and hosts of the "Prophecy Pros Podcast," addressed myths and different views Christians have about the rapture, tribulation, the Antichrist and Armageddon—a go-to word that's now frequently used by secularists to describe a multitude of catastrophic events—during their latest podcast episode. "One myth that we see happen every year with every world leader is people try to play pin the tail on the Antichrist. So, the myth question is, is there any way that we'll know who the Antichrist is before the rapture?" asked Hampson, an author, illustrator and animation producer. Kinley cited 2 Thessalonians 2 and specifically 2:6, which explains when the Antichrist will be revealed, and noted that the Antichrist will portray himself as "a great peacemaker," a "charismatic leader, a great speaker" who can "bring reconciliation between nations." The podcaster also stressed that Christians won't know who the Antichrist will be because they will have already been raptured. Listen to the full episode now.

In an interview with CP, Bethel Church worship leaders Brian and Jenn Johnson discussed how they continue to celebrate being part of a ministry that is full of "life" despite naysayers and people who they say take their comments out of context. The church has been the subject of scrutiny over the years for its charismatic teachings, including at its School of Supernatural Ministry. They have also made headlines for praying for the resurrection of a little girl and claiming gold dust fell from the ceiling during a worship event. "With YouTube, they take a five-minute snippet, something that's a thought, a question from a leader, he's processing on stage. Then people just go, 'They believe this!' No, he's posing a question, and in the last 15 minutes is him answering that. So, it's like the sound bites," said Brian. Jenn added that she doesn't let the negative comments get to her, explaining, "I think that [it's] like water off a duck's back in a big way. At the end of the day, the people who are on staff at Bethel are very good people." Bethel Music currently preparing for the launch of their upcoming album Come Up Here. Read more.