Tebowing

Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow has kicked off a trend - dropping to one knee in a position of prayer. After the NFL star led his team back to win at the last minute this past weekend, the outspoken Christian dropped to his knees while teammates celebrated around him. It was given the name "Tebowing" by fans and soon the act caught on around the country. Some stories have given credit to Jared Kleinstein for starting the phenomenon. He started a website dedicated to Tebowing which you can see here. Fans are submitting photos of themselves on one knee and praying when others around you are doing something else. Even teammate Von Miller sent out a photo of himself on Twitter wearing a Tebow jersey and doing the pose.

Appeals Court: Almighty God OK

An appeals court has given the state of Kentucky to include a reference to God in its homeland security law. The vote was split over whether the state could require its homeland security director to promote a "dependence on Almighty God" in training and educational materials. That overturns a lower court ruling.

Megachurch Sold

Chapman University is buying the Crystal Cathedral in Southern California for $50 million. The megachurch is in the same amount of debt and was forced to get rid of the property. The church founded by Robert Schuller filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy a year ago. Schuller and his family have been accused by creditors of profiting from the church will bills went unpaid, which they have denied. The deal won't be finalized until next month.

Complaint: Crosses violate Human Rights

Muslim students at Catholic University in Washington DC say their rights are being violated because they have not been allowed to start a Muslim student group and because there are no rooms at the school set aside for their daily prayers without Christian symbols such as crosses. Federal officials are investigating because of a complaint filed by a law professor at George Washington University. Catholic University officials say they have not received any direct complaints about the issue.

Billboard Misquotes Jefferson

A billboard put up by an atheist group against Christianity quotes Thomas Jefferson as saying, "I do not find in Christianity one redeeming feature. It is founded on fables and mythology." The only problem is that Jefferson never said it. The head of Backyard Skeptics said, "I should have done the research before I put my billboard up." The Jefferson Library says the quote shows up on many Internet sites, but there's no evidence he ever said it and its unlikely he would have taken the time to create his own version of the Bible if he agreed with the statement.

Bible Classes Fading in Georgia

The number of students taking Bible classes in Georgia has fallen so far that schools don't have the money to pay for them. Some districts have cut the number of classes being offered because of it. Schools also face the difficulty of finding qualified teachers. Only 21 of 180 school districts offered classes - down from 48 just four years ago. Georgia lawmakers allowed the classes to begin 5 years ago followed by Oklahoma, Texas, Tennessee, and South Carolina. Other states, like Alabama, did not pass laws on the classes but allow the curriculum in schools. Many states without laws on the matter offer voluntary Bible courses.

Baptists Slash Balyor Funding

Baylor is losing nearly $900,000 in funding from the Baptist General Convention of Texas. Baptist influence on the University has waned in the face of falling enrollment by Baptist students (they make up less than half of the student body) and funding from other sources besides the convention. Baylor will now get $1.9 million instead of $2.8 million.

Parents Charged in Death of WA Child

Catholics in America

The face of Roman Catholics is changing in the US. Here's the findings of a new survey published in The National Catholic Reporter:

88% - agreed with the statement "how a person lives is more important than whether he or she is Catholic."
86% - agreed with the statement "you can disagree with aspects of church teachings and still remain loyal to the church."
30% - support the "teaching authority claimed by the Vatican."
40% - agreed with the statement that you can be a good Catholic without believing that in Mass, the bread and wine really become the body and blood of Christ.
40% say they do not attend mass because they not very religious.


The survey also finds attending services continues to drop:
1987 - 44% attended at least once a week
2011 - 31% attended at least once a week


1987 - 26% attend less than monthly
2011 - 47% attend less than monthly

No Churches inAfghanistan

The State Department says there is not a single, public Christian church left in Afghanistan a decade after the US invasion to overthrow the Taliban regime. Nor are there any Christian schools. The last Christian church was torn down last year when Afgani courts turned aside the congregations claim to have a lease to the property.

Christian Faith on Amazing Race

There are only 4 teams left in the CBS reality competition Amazing Race. During the last episode, the Christian faith of one of the teams was revealed. Snowboarders Andy and Tommy say the reason they've won so many legs of the race is it is "God's will." Andy said during the show, "God's always there with us, and he's going to help us." The teams are in Thailand, where Tommy said while visiting a Buddhist temple, "God is greater than the temple." Andy adds there is only “one true God,” which he knows because it’s in the Bible. See the full episode here.

Pastor's Protest over Mascot

A central Georgia pastor has filed a lawsuit for his arrest while protesting a high school's demon mascot. Donald Crosby, pastor of God’s Kingdom Builders Church of Jesus Christ, says city of Warner Robins violated his First Amendment rights. He gathered with a couple of dozen members of his congregation outside of the city's high school on the first day of classes. Officers told him that he needed a permit and he got one, but was arrested both times.

Lawsuit against Souther Baptist Convention

Ron and Beverly Nollner are suing the the Southern Baptist Convention for $1.5 million. The Nashville couple says they were fired from their jobs overseeing construction of an office building for the Convention's International Mission Board for speaking out about illegal and unsafe building practices and bribery by some of the people involved in the work. The Mission Board hasn't responded to the lawsuit yet.