Student Protests Graduation Ceremony at Church

A high school student in suburban Georgia says she won't attend her graduation on May 25 because it's being held at a church. The Southwest DeKalb High School graduation will take place at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church. The school district says it was just a matter of finding a place large enough for the graduation class, but the mother of Nahkoura Mahnassi calls it a violation of the separation of church and state and a "slap in the face."

Bubba Watson on Easter

Bubba Watson came from behind to win the Masters golf tournament yesterday. In his news conference, he was asked about why it was special to win on Easter.

"Yeah, this is the day Jesus is risen. Good Friday was when He was crucified on the cross, and today is Easter where we celebrate He's risen. For us, that's salvation to go to Heaven. He took all of our sins from us. So for me, it's just a dream come true. My dad is not here. I hope he's watching in heaven. My grandma never got to watch me play professional golf. She used to make all my knickers for me. So when I think about the day, those are the most important things to me. A guy, Billy Weir, that introduced me to PING; all of these people that influenced me throughout my life, that's what I'm thinking about, not really me winning a golf tournament. I'm thinking about all of these people that influenced me in the right direction to get to where I am today as a person."

Tebow's Easter Speech

Some 15,000 people came to hear Tim Tebow speak at a Easter service in Texas at the Celebration Church in Georgetown, north of Austin. Pastor Joe Champion interviewed Tebow, asking the New York Jets quarterback what needed to change in America. "First and foremost is what this country was based on: one nation under God. The more that we can get back to that," Tebow said. He also told the outdoor crowd, "It's OK to be outspoken about your faith."

"The hell-raising evangelist's son"

CBS News visits with Franklin Graham here.

Thomas Kinkade Passes

Artist Thomas Kinkade has died at the age of 54 in Los Gatos, California of natural causes. Kinkade’s distinctive style was panned by the critics but sold well to Evangelicals. He often uses Christian themes in his work. In 2009, a judge ordered Kinkade to pay more than two-million dollars to two gallery owners. They claim he left them financially ruined by using religion to get them to make large investments in a project that had no chance of success. Other investors sued Kinkade but were not successful in court. One of his companies declared bankruptcy in 2010. The same year, he was arrested on suspicion of DUI near Carmel, California.

Actor Playing Judas Hangs Himself

An actor is in serious condition in the city of Itarare, Brazil after he accidentally hung himself during a passion play. Tiago Klimeck was playing the part of Judas. After the betrayal of Jesus, during the scene of his character's suicide Klimeck confused which cord he should use. He hung unconscious for several moments because his fellow actors thought he was just playing his part.

Dead Bunny

A South Carolina church sends out post cards showing a dead Easter Bunny. WVLA-TV has a video report here.

Tebow in Texas

Tim Tebow will speak at the Easter service of a Texas megachurch Sunday. The Celebration Church in Georgetown, north of Austin is expected some 20,000 people to hear the The New York Jets quarterback. The non-denominational service will be held outside and parishioners will sit on lawn chairs and blankets. More details here
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Defamation Suit

Florida megachurch settles defamation lawsuit. Read the story here.

Dropping "God" from God Bless the USA

Lee Greenwood is blasting a Boston school for taking the word God out of his song God Bless The USA. Greenwood says,  “The most important word in the whole piece of music is the word God, which is also in the title. Maybe the school should have asked the parents their thoughts before changing the lyrics to the song. They could have even asked the writer of the song, which I of course, would have said you can’t change the lyrics at all or any part of the song.”  Here's a video report from Fox's Boston TV station.

School changes lyrics from 'God Bless the USA' to 'We love the USA' : MyFoxBOSTON.com

Colson Has Brain Surgery

Chuck Colson remains hospitalized after undergoing brain surgery over the weekend. The founder of Prison Fellowship had a blood clot removed from his brain. His doctors say he did not have a stroke. Colson is sedated by resting comfortably, his doctors say. The Watergate figure is now 80 years old.

Vandy's Student Group Policy

Vanderbilt Catholic is leaving campus over the school's policy that prevents student groups from requiring leaders to hold the beliefs of the group. Four others student groups are on provisional status at the Nashville school for violating the policy.

School Shooting

A man is in custody following a shooting at a Christian school in California. At least seven people are dead at Oikos University in Oakland. Police say he opened fire in a classroom. Police arrested the suspect several miles away at a shopping center and say the man was once a nursing student at the school. The school is connected to Oakland's Praise God Korean Church in Oakland and Shepherd University in San Francisco.

Colson Hospitalized

Chuck Colson had surgery today though it is unclear why. Prison Fellowship, the ministry he founded, says he is resting comfortably after falling ill during a conference in Virginia. He was attending the Wilberforce Weekend Conference.

School Ponders Name Change

Houston Baptist University is considering dropping Baptist from its name. The Texas school, founded more than half a century ago by Baptist General Convention of Texas, added board members last year who are not members of Baptist churches. Some have criticized the effort as leaving its Christian roots - though school officials deny the charge. Houston may be dropped as well, to avoid a geographical limitations.

Churchgoers subdue gunman

Church Stages Kidnapping

A mother of a teenager has filed a complaint with the police in Middletown, Pennsylvania against the Glad Tidings Assembly of God for putting her - and the church's entire youth group through a mock kidnapping - without telling the students or their parents that it was all pretend. The mother says the girl was traumatized by it. The two men burst into the meeting with guns, covered the heads of 17 students, put them in a van and interrogated them. There's a video report from WHTM-TV here.

2010 Membership & Giving

Giving to churches was down more than $1 billion in 2010. That's according to the latest Yearbook of American & Canadian Churches which is published by the National Council of Churches. Some of the findings:

•  The Roman Catholic Church is still the largest religious group in the US with 68.2 million members, but its growth was under one percent in 2010. 
• Membership in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America fell nearly 6% to 4.3 million members. 
• The Southern Baptist Convention, the second-largest religious group in the US, reported a membership decline of less than 1 percent - the 4th consecutive drop. Their 2010 membership is at 16.1 million people. 
• The Mormon church rose 1.6% and the Assemblies of God rose 4%.

Accusations Fly at TBN

Members of the family that started the TBN Christian TV network are accusing the organization of financial corruption. Many of the claims come from the granddaughter of Paul and Jan Crouch who founded the network. Brittany Koper took over last year as chief financial officer and has now filed a lawsuit claiming she was fired and forced to turn over her house and car after complaining about "illegal financial schemes" involving tens of millions of dollars. A TBN lawyer blames Koper herself, saying she and her husband stole money from the network and she is making up false claims to distract from what's she done. Joseph McVeigh, another family member, says the family uses 13 homes owned by the network. He claims TBN bought a $50 million jet through a "sham loan" and owns another $8 million jet that's used by Jan Crouch. McVeigh says a $100,000 recreational vehicle is used just for transporting Jan Crouch's dogs. TBN owns more than half a dozen TV networks, runs Trinity Music City USA in Nashville and an amusement park in Florida.

Tebow's Church

New York magazine takes a look at where new Jets quarterback Tim Tebow could attend church in New York here.