Thursday, June 23, 2011

Pastor Suspended

Amy DeLong has been suspended for 20 days from her church duties for performing a same-sex union. The United Methodist minister was found guilty by a jury made up of other pastors. They voted 9-4 in favor of suspension. DeLong is registered with her same-sex partner under Wisconsin's Domestic Partnership Law.

Camping Ends Radio Ministry

Harold Camping is going off the air. The radio evangelist who predicted the rapture would take place in May, will stop airing his radio program at the end of the month. The 89-year-old suffered a stroke just days afterward, leaving him hospitalized in Oakland, California.

Pawlenty Leading the Evangelical Vote

Evangelical leaders say, if they were voting today, they would pick Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty for the Republican presidential nomination. That's the finding of a poll by the National Association of Evangelicals. 45% say they plan to support Pawlenty. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney came in second with 14%.

Controversy follows Baptist theologian to North Texas

WFAA-TV reports on what's happened to the former head of Jerry Falwell's Liberty Baptist Seminary in Lynchburg, Virginia after his claims of having terrorist ties fell apart.

Megachurch Pulls Away from Exodus

Chicago-land megachurch Willow Creek is no longer associating itself with Exodus International, an ex-homosexual organization which claims to help people stop living a gay lifestyle. Willow Creek Community church is a bell-weather among Evangelical churches with services averaging some 24,000 attendees. Exodus Vice President Randy Thomas recently left and Senior Director of Church Equipping and Student Ministries Jeff Buchanan took over his position.

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Methodist Jury: Guilty

A jury of Wisconsin United Methodist pastors has found Amy DeLong guilty of marrying a lesbian couple against church law. The vote was 13-0. However, on a 12-1 vote, she was found not guilty of a charge of being a "self-avowed practicing homosexual." The penalty could be anything from suspension to defrocking.

Worldwide Survey of Evangelicals

A new survey finds differing opinions as to whether Evangelicals are gaining influence in society. Most pastors in the "Global North" (Europe, North America, Japan, Australia and New Zealand) say Evangelicals are losing influence while most pastors in the "Global South" (sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East/North Africa, Latin America and most of Asia) say the opposite, according to the Pew Research Center. American Evangelical leaders are among the pessimistic. A whopping 82% say evangelicals are losing influence. Leaders in the Global South are generally more conservative than those in the Global North.

Pastor Pleads Not Guilty

Amy DeLong has pleaded not guilty in a United Methodist church trial to being a "self-avowed practicing homosexual." The Wisconsin pastor faces charges she violated church rules by officiating at the marriage ceremony of a lesbian couple. A jury of 13 Wisconsin pastors will hear her the trial. DeLong has said she is in lesbian relationship, but that doesn't prove she has been "practicing" homosexual acts with her partner, according to her representative during the proceedings.

Van Impe Off TBN

TBN is no longer airing Jack Van Impe's show after the televangelist wanted to air a program naming other prominent preachers as teachers of a corrupt gospel. The TV network has a specific policy against criticizing other ministries on its air waves and refused to air a program where Van Impe specifically went after Robert Schuller who leads the now bankrupt Crystal Cathedral and Rick Warren who wrote The Purpose Driven Life. The program was part of a series about "Chrislam" in which he says the two leaders are combining Christianity and Islam. Van Impe withdrew his program from TBN, saying, "I will not allow anyone to tell me what I can and cannot preach."

Monday, June 20, 2011

Doughnuts for Protesters

A Seattle pastor bought food for the Westboro Baptist Church members this weekend. Word got out the serial protesters were coming to Mark Driscoll's Mars Hill Church. He wrote a post on his blog welcoming Westboro "to our whore house for God's Grace and free donuts." Read it here.

Under God Deleted

NBC is apologizing for editing out "under God" out of clip of children reciting the Pledge of Allegiance that ran during the US Open. The network says it was a mistake.