New Translations

There are two new Bible translations coming out this week. Zondervan is printing the newest edition of the NIV, the most widely used translation by Protestants. Meanwhile, the US Roman Catholic bishops are will offer The New American Bible, Revised Edition.

Church Drops Baptist from Name

Two Rivers Baptist Church is changing its name. The prominent Nashville church is dropping the word Baptist and will soon call itself the Fellowship at Two Rivers, effective March 20. Located near the Gaylord Opryland Hotel and Convention Center, the church drew some 3000 people at one time. Now, only about 650 come each Sunday.

Scumbags Welcome

A Central Florida church has put up a billboard reading 'Scumbags Welcome!' The Saturday Night Live (SNL) church in Tavares paid for the sign on Highway 441 between the towns of Tavares. The pastor says complaints have been pouring in but there are no plans to take the billboard down. In fact, SNL has another potentially controversial billboard going up in a few months that references sex. The church is about a year old and has around 50 members who meet on the campus of the Tavaras First United Methodist Church.

Who Goes to Heaven & Hell

A new book is stirring controversy before it hits book shelves at the end of the month because the author offers his view of who is going to hell. Rob Bell, pastor of Michigan's Mars Hill Bible Church is catching flack in social media for his book Love Wins: A Book About Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived. Publicity material suggests Bell argues in the book that a "loving God would never sentence human souls to eternal suffering." Here's a video of Bell about his views on hell.

TV Preacher Called Fraud

Peter Popoff is offering "debt cancellation kits" that he claims can wipe out all debt. Despite the fact it was revealed he used radios to fool audiences during services, the TV preacher and faith healer reported more than a million dollars in income to his family from his nonprofit organization in 2005. KABC-TV has this video report on what many media watchdogs call a ministry based on fraud.