Abortion Doc: Not Guilty

A Wichita jury has a found late-term abortion doctor not guilty of committing 19 counts of a misdemeanor stemming from his medical practice. Prosecutors accused George Tiller of failing to abide by a state law that requires an independent physician to consult on late-term abortions. But Tiller’s troubles are not over with just yet. The Kansas medical board says its investigating him over the same issues.

Obama Controversy at Notre Dame

Dobson's Rebel Son

A profile by the Denver Post of Ryan Dobson - James Dobson's son.

Does Satan Exist

Mark Driscoll of Mars Hill Church appeared on ABC's Nightline last night to face off on the question as to whether Satan exists or not. Here's a link to the show.

Evolution in Texas

The Texas State Board of Education has turned aside an effort to make public school teachers explain “weaknesses” in the theory of evolution during science class. The board deadlocked 7-to-7 on the proposal. The tie keeps in place a decision made by the board at the first of the year to do away with a rule that required the "strengths and weaknesses" of all scientific theories be taught.

Lesbian Ordination Stopped

A setback for gay rights supports in the Presbyterian Church, USA. The denomination has stopped the application for ordination of a lesbian deacon. The San Francisco presbytery had given Lisa Larges the green light. But a church commission overturned the decision. Larges has been turned down twice already because she is a lesbian.

Abortion Doc on Trial

Closing arguments are planned for tomorrow in the trial of a Kansas abortion doctor. George Tiller is accused of breaking a Kansas law requiring two physicians without legal or financial ties sign off on any late-term procedure. He's one of the few doctors in the country who perform abortions in the last trimester of pregnancy. Tiller took the stand yesterday and the defense rested today.

Fake Schuller Twitters

The 82-year-old founder of the Crystal Cathedral has an online imposter. Someone is pretending to be megachurch pastor Robert H. Schuller and already has 1000 Twitter followers. The company quickly suspended the account this week when the problem was brought to its attention. The posers posts indicated he or she knows a lot about Schuller’s background.

Schuller isn’t the first. A fake Stephen Colbert drew more than 70,000 followers.

Churches Hit by Recession

A CNN report on churches struggling with the recession.

Cleveland Church Closings

A CNN report on some Catholic faithful who are upset about plans to close churches on the west side of Cleveland.

Christian Book Expo

The Christian Book Expo drew a disappointing 1500 people at its first ever meeting in Dallas over the weekend.

In God We Still Trust

The St. Johns County School Board near Jacksonville, Florida is being sued by a group of parents over a song called In God We Still Trust. It was supposed to be included as part of a end-of-the-year school program but was cut when the complaints started. The parents was the school board to pay damages because – even though the children never sang the song in public - their kids had to learn the lyrics to it.

Amazing Race: Episode 6

On last night’s edition of The Amazing Race, the teams found themselves in the slums of India. Father and son Mel and Mike finish second. Two former fight attendants arrived last and were eliminated. The teams next head to Thailand.

Mel White is a one-time speechwriter for Pat Robertson and Billy Graham who has now turned to gay-rights activism. He’s teamed with his son, Mike White who wrote the screen play for the films School of Rock and Nacho Libre.

Pastor Hands Out Shot Glasses

A Methodist pastor is making it a habit of handing out shot glasses at local bars. Glen Hanson of Cross Point United Methodist Church in Des Moines, Iowa is already known for doing things a bit different. His congregation meets in a high school auditorium, candles are replaced by glow sticks on Christmas Eve and often his 140-pound dog on home visits. He handed out barf bags on Ash Wednesday to symbolize the need to cleanse ourselves. Hanson recently started advertising the church by passing out shot glasses at bars. Cross Point United Methodist Church is printed on the side.

Pastor Fined for Illustration

A pastor in Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin got in trouble for an sermon illustration. John Putnam had a member fire a steel-tipped practice arrow across the front of the congregation at Pentecostals of Sheboygan County. One member stood to complain about it before the arrow was even fired. He was told to sit down and be quiet. When he complained again, Putnam asked the man to leave. Police gave the pastor and the man who shot the arrow several citations. Each will pay more than $100 in fines. Putnam was talking about spiritual armor: The helmet of salvation, the sword of the spirit and the belt of truth.

Theft of Church Money

"Satan had a big part in the theft."

An Arlington, Washington woman quoted in a local newspaper who worked at the Arlington Free Methodist Church. She's charged with forging the pastor's name on more than 80 checks worth more than $73,000. She called a detective last year and confessed to stealing money from a former employer.

The New Calvinisim

TIME magazine takes a look at how Calvinism is influencing American Evangelicalism.

College Gets Court Victory Against College Group

It's OK for the University of California’s Hastings College of the Law to refuse to recognize the Christian Legal Society because the student group will not allow gay and lesbian members. That's the ruling of the 9th Circuit Appeals court, upholding a 2006 ruling by a San Francisco judge. The CLS has more than 160 chapters across the country at law schools.

Amazing Race: Episode 5

On the most recent episode of the CBS show Amazing Race, Mel and Mike had to deliver a Russian bride to her wedding and Mike had to strip down to his underwear before going for a 1.4 mile run with two local runners. They finished in 4th place.

Mel White is a one-time speechwriter for Pat Robertson and Billy Graham who has now turned to gay-rights activism. He’s teamed with his son, Mike White who wrote the screen play for the films School of Rock and Nacho Libre.

Christians on American Idol

An M-TV story on Christian signers on American Idol.

A second article on reaction to first story.