Pastor's Daughter Shot in Head Dies

A pastor's daughter died today in Florida after being shot at church last Sunday. The shooting at Grace Connection Church happened after services. 20-year-old Hannah Kelley was shot in the back of the head at her St. Petersburg when Moises Zambrana was showing her boyfriend was looking at a gun that he might buy in another room when it went off, sending a bullet through the wall.

Shunning at a Megachurch

Slate takes a look at a brewing controversy in Seattle over the internal disciplinary procedures at Mark Driscoll's megachurch here.

Warren: Jail is Preferrable

Rick Warren says jail is preferable to supporting the Obama administration's policy that forces institutions affiliated with religious groups to provide coverage for birth control, abortion and sterilization. Warren Tweeted: "I'm not a Catholic but I stand in 100% solidarity with my brothers & sisters to practice their belief against govt pressure." He suggested that he's ready to go to jail and asked his Twitter followers to be ready to do the same.

NIV stays at LifeWay

LifeWay Bookstores will keep selling the new NIV Bible despite the fact that the Southern Baptist Convention - which owns the chain - voted to ask that 2011 edition with its gender-neutral language be removed from store shelves. Lifeway trustees, meeting in Nashville yesterday, decided the concerns of the convention over translation issues are not great enough to stop selling it, although the board also made it clear it is not endorsing the new translation. The older version of the NIV is the most popular Bible among Baptists and has been the best-selling version in the U.S. for years.

Megachurch Dedication

A new Dallas megachurch has the stamp of approval on it from Joel Osteen. The Elevate Life Church just opened its new, eight-story building and the Houston pastor spoke at the dedication. The "Cathedral of Frisco"is a nondenominational assembly, led by pastors Keith and Sheila Craft, with about 7000 in attendance each week.

Conversion to Islam

The son of movie director Oliver Stone is converting to Islam. Sean Stone is filming a documentary in Iran where he underwent a ceremony in the city of Isfahan. The younger Stone has taken the Muslim first name Ali. In recent interviews, he has defended Iran's president, saying the country has a right to pursue nuclear weapons to defend itself against threats from Israel.

Speed-Faithing

Dominican University is holding a "speed-faithing" event today. Instead of trying to connect people for potential romance, as in speed-dating, the Chicago-area catholic school will give students the opportunity to talk about the important questions in life. Participants will sit down with strangers for a five-minute conversations about their religious beliefs. The university successfully held one this fall that was open to everyone on campus. This time, only students will be allowed to take part. The Interfaith Youth Core, an ecumenical organization working on college campuses is cosponsoring the event.

Shooting at Florida Church

A pastor's daughter was shot in the back of the head at her St. Petersburg church yesterday. 20-year-old Hannah Kelley is in critical condition after a bullet hit her in the head after going through a wall at Grace Connection Church after services. Her boyfriend was looking at a gun that he might buy in another room when it went off.

Focus On The Family's President

NPR interviews the president of Focus on the Family here.

On this Date... 1954

It was on Feb 7, 1954 that George Docherty gave his sermon urging that Congress add "Under God" to Pledge of Allegiance

Georgia Pastor Apologizes to Jewish Group

Megachurch pastor Eddie Long has written a letter to the Anti-Defamation League, apologizing for a ceremony at his Atlanta church where he was wrapped in a torah and exalted as king. Watch a video of the event in an earlier post.

Tebow could go into politics

Tim Tebow may one day step off the football field and into politics. During an interview last night, the Denver Broncos quarterback said..

"It could be something in my future.. if it's something I care about, possibly... Ultimately I know that my goal and my platform through the game of football isn’t just to score touchdowns and win games. You know, it’s about being a great role model and setting an example for the next generation. My ultimate goal is to be an athlete that some mom or dad can look at their son and daughter and say, ‘That’s someone who’s trying to do it the right way, that’s someone who’s trying to live with character." 

Here are some video excerpts from the interview.

FCC say no to Graphic Super Bowl Ad

The FCC says a Chicago TV station does not have to run a graphic anti-abortion ad during the Super Bowl. Christian activist Randall Terry wanted to buy the ads as part of his campaign for the Democratic nomination for President. Broadcast stations are not allowed to censure political ads once they accept ads for a particular race. But WMAQ-TV refused, so Terry appealed to the FCC. The Commission supported the station's decision, basing its ruling on Terry's failure to show that he is a bona fide candidate who is running a substantial campaign, necessary requirements in order for him to be considered a legitimate candidate entitled to the broadcast time. Terry is not on the ballot in Illinois. The Commission also said that Terry had no right to demand when his ads would run.

Woman reads Bible to attacker

A North Carolina mother stopped an attacker by ready the Bible to him for an hour. The man slashed the throat of Lindsay Wood right after she returned home from church Wednesday night. He eventually apologized and fled the scene. Wood was hospitalized with wounds requiring several dozen stitches. The man is still on the run. There is a video report from WSOC-TV here.

Baptists Poised to Make History

Southern Baptists could soon have its first Black leader. Fred (Chip) Luther says he will seek to become president of the denomination. Baptist leaders says the New Orleans pastor is the easy favorite. Church representatives will meet in his city during June to make a decision, when Georgia's Bryant Wright finished his second one-year term. Luther already made history by becoming the convention's first African-American vice president. At the moment, Luther has no other competition for the post.

Eddie Long 'Crowned King'

Jewish leaders and Messianic Jewish groups say they are outraged over an incident at Eddie Long's Atlanta megachurch this past Sunday. A Messianic preacher had two men wrap Bishop Eddie Long in a large scroll of the Torra and called a "king." Long has been in the middle of a sex scandal. There are accusations that he sexually abused several teenagers at the New Birth Missionary Baptist Church over a period of years. See the video below.

Osteen's Church Sued

A man who volunteered at Joel Osteen's Houston is suing the megachurch because of molestation accusations. Daniel Guzman claims Lakewood Church was negligence when another volunteer accused him of inappropriately touching an autistic child in 2010. Because the child cannot speak the police investigation was inconclusive. However, Guzman was arrested a year later, but he was never indicted for lack of evidence. In his lawsuit, Guzman claims the church "abandoned" him - while failing to gather video evidence and training of church personnel to deal with the issue. His attorney says Guzman left the state over the allegations.

Obama: What Would Jesus Tax?

President Barack Obama spoke today at the National Prayer Breakfast, saying Jesus’s teachings have shaped his beliefs about taxes. He told the audience that the rich should pay more not only because “I actually think that is going to make economic sense, but for me as a Christian, it also coincides with Jesus’ teaching that ‘for unto whom much is given, much shall be required." Here's the video of the event at the Washington Hilton.

Tebow Turns Down Parsley

Tim Tebow won't be speaking at a Rod Parsley revival in Ohio as originally planned. After researching some of Parsley's controversial views, particularly his prosperity teaching, the Denver Broncos quarterback declined the invite. Robbie Tebow, Tim's brother, says their speakers' bureau didn't check out the event enough before agreeing to appear. Televangelist Kenneth Copeland is also slated to speak.

Missionary Couple Murdered

A missionary couple killed near Monterrey, Mexico will be buried near Dallas today. John and Wanda Casias were found strangled in their home Tuesday during an armed home invasion. They had labored on the mission field for nearly 30 years. John Casias was 76 and and Wanda Casias was 67.Funeral services are being planned Lewisville's Liberty Baptist Church. Read more about their work here.