THEY SAID IT.. HILLARY CLINTON

"My faith protected me and gave me the space and the time to really come to an understanding of what was right for me and my family”. - Hillary Rodham Clinton yesterday during her first ever appearance on CBN’s 700 Club

LARRY NORMAN DIES

A pioneer of contemporary Christian music has past away. Larry Norman died of heart failure in Salem, Oregon at the age of 60. Norman stirred controversy in the 70’s with songs like Why Should the Devil Have All the Good Music? and I wish We’d all Been Ready. The Gospel Music Association inducted him into the group’s Hall of Fame in 2001. He introduced Randy Stonehill to Christianity and produced his first few albums. An album he recorded with Frank Black and Isaac Brock of Modest Mouse was set to be released later this year.

CROSSES DEEMED GANG-RELATED

South Albany High School in Albany, Oregon has suspended two students for wearing crucifixes. The principal called the jewelry “gang-related” because sometime gang members put their colors on rosaries and claim they are religious. The 14-year-old and 16-year-old students say the crosses were just gifts from their mothers.

WHAT AMERICANS BELIEVE

Almost half of American adults have left their religious upbringing. That’s the finding of a new survey by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life. The organization polled more than 35,000 adults and discovered the US is..

• 78% Christian
• 51% Protestant
• 44% Have switched denomination of Protestantism to another or from one religion to another
• 25% of people between the ages of 18 and 29 have no religious affiliation
• 19% are Roman Catholic
• 10% are former Catholics
• 9% say they are protestants without denominational ties
• 6.9% History black churches
• 4% are atheists or agnostics
• 1.7% are Jewish
• 0.7% are Buddhist
• 0.6% are Muslim

Other findings:
• For every person leaving the unchurched group, there are three others taking their place
• Nearly half of all Catholics under 30 are Hispanic, the survey found.
• Nondenominational protestant churches are growing but Baptist and Methodist churches are
showing net losses.
• Hindus have the highest retention of childhood members
• Jehovah's Witnesses have the lowest retention of childhood members
• Most Buddhists are converts

LORD OF THE RINGS LAWSUIT

The British charity managing the estate of Lord of the Rings author J.R.R. Tolkien wants to stop New Line from making The Hobbit. The charity filed suit against New Line Cinema this month claiming it cheated the Tolkien Trust out of its 7.5% share of the gross profits from the first film Lord of the Rings.

THE WILLIAM TELL MOM

Perhaps you’ve seen a funny video floating around the internet describing the trials and tribulations of motherhood set to the tune of the William Tell Overture. The singer is the wife of an Atlanta pastor by the name of Anita Renfroe who has been building a career as a Christian comedian. Her kids got her to post the video on YouTube last year and it’s popularity grew until it recently passed the 8 million mark for views. Renfroe was recently rewarded for her work by Good Morning America which has created a regular segment featuring her humorous take on life.

DEDUCTING YOUR CHURCH GIVING

If you want to deduct donations to your church, you’ll need to have "proper" records. And that includes your smaller donations. It used to be you only needed something to back up gifts of $250 or more. But now you need a receipt even if you just toss a few bucks in the offering plate. Proper documentation would include a check, bank copy of the check, electronic funds transfer record, credit card or credit union statement, payroll stub or W-2 in the case of a payroll deduction. These records must indicate the charity name, the amount, and the date the donation was given. A written letter from the charity or church with the information also acceptable. You don't have to submit the information with your tax return. Just be able to produce it if you are audited. There’s more info charitable giving on IRS Publication 526 and 562.

SUPER BOWL SCREENINGS

The NFL says it will allow churches to show the Super Bowl on big-screen televisions. In a complete turnaround, the league commissioner says in a letter to congress that it will not object to live showings by religious organizations regardless of screen size. Many churches cancelled their Super Bowl parties this year after the NFL threatened to sue them for copyright violations if screens larger than 55 inches were used. The league allowed sports bars an exception. In response, several members of Congress have threatened to offer legislation to stop the NFL restrictions.

PASTOR DISPUTES CLINTON’S RECOLLECTION

The pastor of Houston’s Second Baptist Church is accusing Bill Clinton of lying about a 1993 encounter between the two at the White House. Ed Young sent a letter to Clinton’s foundation saying what actually happened was nothing like the former president described in a recent speech to Baptists in Atlanta. Clinton said he debated the former Southern Baptist Convention president at a breakfast. But Young says they did not share breakfast that day and the exchange about women in the ministry was not a debate, as Clinton described. Young also says Clinton was misleading about their exchange on whether the Bible is literally true.

CHURCH MEMBERSHIP

Here are some changes in church membership for the past year according to the National Council of Churches 2008 yearbook:

• Jehovah's Witnesses - up 2.25%

• The Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints - up 1.56%

• The Roman Catholic Church, Southern Baptist Convention, Assemblies of God and African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church – up less than 1%

• The Episcopal Church - down 4%

• Presbyterian Church, USA - down 2.4%

SEMINARY AGREES TO PAY $300K

Seattle’s Mars Hill Graduate School has agreed to pay $300,000 to settle a harassment and discrimination lawsuit brought by one of its founders. Heather Parkinson-Webb, the first female professor at the seminary says she was fired after she was granted a restraining order against her then husband, Kirk Webb. Both are founders of the school. She says the school knew that her former husband had an affair with a student but failed to dismiss him. He has since left Mars Hill.

MILLION DOLLAR ‘GOD’ STUDY

London’s Oxford University plans to spend a bout $4 million on why whether belief in a divine being is a basic part of mankind's makeup. The major grant from the John Templeton Foundation will bring together academics from a variety of disciplines including theologians, anthropologists, and philosophers. The Ian Ramsey Center for Science and Religion will take three years to complete the study on why mankind embraces God.

EVOLUTION IN FLORIDA

For the first time, schools in Florida will be required to teach evolution next year. The state Board of Education made the decision on a 4-3 vote. But parents, educators and lawmakers who insisted that evolution was far from an iron-clad fact are pleased that an amendment was added to put the words "scientific theory of" in front of the term "evolution".

COPELAND VOWS TO FIGHT INVESTIGATION

Televangelist Kenneth Copeland says he’s going to fight an investigation spearheaded by Senater Charles Grassley. Copeland told a group of ministers that any attempts by Grassley to gain information would be made "over my dead body." Grassley first sent letters in November to six ministries teaching prosperity gospel asking about contributions, salaries and spending. They include Randy and Paula White, Benny Hinn, David and Joyce Meyer, Eddie Long and Creflo and Taffi Dollar. The only one that has cooperated is Joyce Meyer. The senator plans to send a second request for information, along with further justification for his probe. Copeland's response has been posted on YouTube. COPELAND VIDEO

CONFESSION TO A MURDER

The former youth minister of Elim Church in Pasadena, California has confessed to police he killed a convenience store clerk for when he was 16 years old. Calvin Wayne Inman now faces capital murder charges. Inman turned himself in more than 13 years after the crime. Inman had decided he should resign his position just a few month after being ordained by the church. Church leaders say the arrest is a lesson in taking responsibility and they fully forgive Inman.

THEY SAID IT: JAMES DOBSON

"He once berated one of our staffers to tears because he simply had to wait a few minutes to see the member" - A congressional aide talking about Focus on the Family founder James Dobson as quoted in an Associated Press article

FEMALE REF REJECTED

A Kansas athletics oversight organization is looking into whether a religious school refused to allow a female referee call a boys' high school basketball game. Referees have reported to the Kansas State High School Activities Association that St. Mary’s Academy northwest of Topeka refused to allowed Michelle Campbell to officiate a February 2nd game. A school official apparently insisted that a woman could not be in a position of authority over boys because of academy beliefs. St. Mary’s is not a full member of the association but participates in league activities. The Association is expected to deal with the issue at its next meeting on March 11.

WHO WOULD JESUS VOTE FOR?

A new website lets visitors vote on what they believe Jesus would have as his political goals. JesusIn2008.com attempts to be nonreligious, aimed at a debate on the issues rather than an exchange of dogma. Besides inferring his stances on modern politics, internet users can choose a contemporary running mate for Jesus. All of the real presidential candidates are offered as options.

THEY SAID IT: CHARLES BARKLEY

"Every time I hear the word 'conservative,' it makes me sick to my stomach, because they're really just fake Christians, as I call them. That's all they are." – former NBA player Charles Barkley

COLLEGE GROUPS LOSE FUNDING

Christian groups at Florida State University are losing their funding because they don’t include gays in their anti-discrimination policies. The Student Government Association approved the move unanimously. That means hundreds of dollars will be held back from Every Nation Campus Ministry and the Christian Legal Society. Both groups object to the decision but neither given the opportunity to respond