Joni and Friends

PBS profiles Joni Eareckson Tada here.

Bart Simpson Sued

The woman who provides the voice of Bart Simpson is being sued for money that was given to the Church of Scientology. Nancy Cartwright has voiced the character since Fox started airing The Simpson's cartoon in 1989. Now, two insurance companies are suing her, claiming her late fiancé, Stephen Brackett, took money from a Hollywood restaurant before he committing suicide and gave it to the cult. Brackett's construction company was supposed to be renovating the restaurant, but never completed the project. His company filed for bankruptcy shortly after his death. Both Brackett and Cartwright have been active members of the church.

Sexual Accusations Against MegaChurch Pastor

A megachurch pastor is denying a lawsuit in which he is accused of coercing two teenagers into a sexual relationship. They say Eddie Long, pastor of the 25,000 member New Birth Missionary Baptist in Atlanta, seduced them at the ages of 17 and 18 (they are now in their 20s). Long denies the accusations and his lawyers point to a burglary at Long's office over the summer. One of the accusers is facing charges in relation to the break-in.

Search Engines

A number of new Internet search engines promise to filter out queries related to potentially offensive or tempting topics like alcohol and pornography. The Muslim-oriented search engine I'mHalal offers no results at all for terms like pornography. Type in alchol and it give results explaining the Islamic view of drinking. A similar Christian search engine is SeekFind, operated from Colorado Springs, Colorado and the Jewish community has Jewogle.

Religious Speech Case Tossed Out

An Appeals Court has thrown out a lawsuit by a student whose professor shouted him down while he was giving a presentation about his Christian faith and called him a "fascist bastard" in the speech class. Jonathan Lopez sued the Los Angeles Community College District over the incident last year involving professor John Matteson. A judge agreed but a panel unanimously found that Lopez failed to show he was harmed and that he lacked standing to bring the case. He plans an appeal.