Motto Vote in Congress

The House will vote this Wednesday on whether In God We Trust should be engraved in stone at the new Capitol Visitor Center along with the Pledge of Allegiance. E Pluribus Unum had been put up by the directors of the Visitor Center as the nation’s motto but two lawmakers caught the mistake. If it passes the House, the bill will move to the Senate.

Top Book

WORLD Magazine has tapped the English Standard Version Study Bible as its Book of the Year. Coming in at 2750 pages, it was first published in 2001 and updated in 2008. This study Bible includes more than 20-thousand commentary notes from nearly 100 scholars.

Thomas Kinkade: Fraud Allegations

A judge has ordered Thomas Kinkade to pay more than two-million dollars to two gallery owners. They claim he left them financially ruined by using religion to get them to make large investments in a project that had no chance of success. Other investors sued Kinkade but were not successful in court. Kinkade is considering an appeal of this latest ruling.

Kinkade’s distinctive style has been panned by the critics but has sold well to Evangelicals. He often uses Christian themes in his work.

No Tracts at Arab Fest

A Christian group won't be handing out tracts at the Arab festival in Dearborn, Michigan that starts today. A judge sided with the city which decided the Arabic Christian Perspective had to be stopped from giving out religious literature as a matter of public safety. The organzation has been offered a table or booth instead.

Kurt Warner

KTVK-TV interviews Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner about Habitat for Humanity.

Focus Changes Policies

Focus on the Family is loosening up. No longer are women required to wear dresses or skirts with hosiery. Workers at the organization founded by James Dobson and based on Colorado can wear dress pants and pantsuits. And men can skip the business suits for an open-collar shirt.

Bomb Squad Finds Bible

The bomb squad was called to the post office in Leavenworth, Kansas today because a suspicious package was left on a counter. Officers used a disrupter gun to blast it. Inside they found a Bible. They speculate that the owner intended to mail the package but failed to do so during a visit to the Post Office.

Judge Sides with Ministry

A judge says a Messianic Jewish ministry may legally hand out tracts at a gay pride event in St. Louis. City officials had threatened to arrest members of Apple of His Eye when they tried to give away literature at the St. Louis' PrideFest last year. The next one is set for the last weekend of June. When a lawsuit was first threatened, the city reversed the ban . But the ministry wanted to make sure they were on firm legal ground and followed through on the suit. The literature handed out by Apple does not mention homosexuality.

Mormons Misunderstood?

TIME magazine will offer an article in its next issue on whether Mormons are misunderstood on the question of gay marriage. Here's a link to the online version of the article.

A Franklin, Virginia Church of God pastor who lost everything in a fire is counting his blessings. WAVY has this video report:

Protests at Seattle Churches

Places of worship were picketed around Seattle today. KOMO-TV has this video report.

Baptists Gather

Some 25,000 Missionary Baptists are gathering in Houston. KRIV-TV has this report.

Is Planet Aid a Cult?

WTTG-TV investigates a group that says it's a charity but many people call a cult.

Bank Sues Robertson

SunTrust Banks has filed a lawsuit against Pat Robertson for $3.6 million. Robertson tried to get a Los Angeles oil refinery going in the 1990s but the project failed because of environmental roadblocks. SunTrust claims Robertson should reimburse it for costs related to the deal. The Regent University president says the property was sold several years ago and he owes the bank nothing.

Sanitation Saga

Some Amish in Pennsylvania are refusing to go by local sewage laws. The New York Times has this report.

Bookstore Bankruptcy

Berean Christian Stores has filed for bankruptcy protection. The chain of Christian bookstores has debt of $10 to $50 million and owes the most to two publishers: Thomas Nelson and Zondervan. Sales are down some 20% this year. The company was founded in 1934 and is headquartered in Cincinnati. It operates stores in Arizona, California, Georgia, Montana, Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky and Pennsylvania.