Arrested for soliciting a prostitute

Bob Jones University's "Chief Brand Officer" was suspended for allegedly soliciting a prostitute. Read the story here.

The money man behind atheism’s activism

"He wants to see the atheism movement expand its footprint." Read the story from CNN here.

student says he was suspended for not 'stepping on Jesus'

A Florida Atlantic University's instructor told everyone in his class to take out a piece of paper, write the word JESUS on it in bold letters, and then put the paper on the floor and stomp on it.  Watch a video report from Florida's WPEC-TV here.

TV Series: Who Does Satan Look Like?

The History Channel is catching some flack for the way Satan looks on The Bible special. Many people took to social media to say Satan looks like President Barack Obama. Even Glenn Beck tweeted "Anyone else think the Devil in #TheBible Sunday on History Channel looks exactly like That Guy?" Actor Mohamen Mehdi Ouazanni plays the role of Satan. Series creator Mark Burnett gave a couple of thousand dollars to Obama's campaign during the 2008 election.

Baptist Appointed by White House

The White House has tapped Melissa Rogers to chair an advisory panel of faith leaders. Rogers replaces Joshua DuBois at the Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships, which was formed by President George W. Bush in 2001 to create partnerships between public and private organizations. She is a Baptist and former general counsel for the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty. Read a blog post on the White House website from Rogers here.

Bible College Student Arrested

Police in Flagstaff, Arizona arrested a Bible college student when the dean of his school escorted him to the police station to tell them he was having sex with his 17-year-old girlfriend--also a student at the school. The unnamed 21 year old says the relationship was consensual and that they had been together for about five months. He now faces felony charges for sexual contact with a minor, which could earn him a year in prison.

Half of Evangelicals says Same-Sex Marriage is inevitable

"A majority of Americans categorize homosexuality as a civil rights issue like age, race and gender, and almost two-thirds think legalization of same-sex marriage in the U.S. is inevitable," says Ed Stetzer, the president of LifeWay Research. A new poll on gay issues from the Southern Baptist affiliated organization discovered:

64% of Americans say same-sex marriage will become legal in the U.S.
50% of those calling themselves "born-again, evangelical or fundamentalist Christian" agree

Read more here.

Bibles in the Classroom

CNBC interview explores why the couple behind the Bible mini-series believes public schools Should teach the Bible in classrooms.

Fuller Seminary announces new President

Fuller Theological Seminary has a man at the helm. Mark Labberton takes over as president beginning July first. Richard Mouw is retiring from the position at the largest Evangelical Christian seminary in the world. Labberton graduated from Fuller’s Master of Divinity program and spent a quarter of a century pastoring in Presbyterian churches. Fuller is located in Pasadena, California,

Do Atheists Really Believe in God?

Asking God to harm them or others is just as upsetting to atheists as religious folks. That's the finding of a new study out of Finland. Details are in the International Journal for the Psychology of Religion. Researchers asked their subjects to decide whether statements like daring God to drown parents or visit friends with disease. The researchers found that even when atheists said such utterances were meaningless, they nevertheless showed discomfort when hooked up to monitors. The study authors say their findings show, at the very least, the idea of God is powerful, even in very secular societies like Finland.

NYT: Focus on the Family Transforms Its Message

The New York Times profiles what Focus on the Family has become since the departure of James Dobson - here.

Pastor on O'Reilly Factor

Pastor Robert Jeffress of First Baptist Church of Dallas appeared on Fox News The O'Reilly Factor. Jeffress has been in the news lately because NFL quarterback Tim Tebow withdrew plans to appear at the church in April for the dedication of a multimillion dollar building.

Christian University Setting Records

Liberty University is now the largest university in Virginia. The university founded by Jerry Falwell ended last year with more than $1 billion in net assets for the first time. And it's online head count has grown an average of about 8,000 students a year. Find out more in a Washington Post profile of the school here.

Atheists apologize for misquote of Sarah Palin

American Atheists is apologizing for misquoting Sarah Palin on a billboard in Texas--but at the same time defending it. The billboard says, “We should create law based on the God of the Bible." While being interviewed by Fox's Bill O'Reilly, Palin referenced the founding fathers, saying that they gathered and decided “we would create law based on the God of the Bible and the Ten Commandments.” The atheist billboard says "should" but Palin actually said "would" and it was in reference to the founding of America, not today's political landscape. American Atheists first declared in a tweet that “Sarah Palin was NOT Misquoted” but later admitted it was wrong--saying it would change the wording but still insisting that even the mistake reflects Palin's view. There are a half-dozen other billboards going up around the Dallas and Austin area.

Atheists ratchet up rhetoric, use billboards to attack Republican politicians

An atheist organization known for being provocative plans to take that reputation to the next level this week by putting up seven billboards that call out prominent politicians and religious leaders. Read more at CNN here.

Florida College Shuts Down Bible Study

Rollins College in Winter Park has shut down a Bible study that was taking place in one of the dorm rooms, Fox News’ Todd Starnes reports. The school says the InterVarsity Christian Fellowship informal Bible study held in the common area of a dorm suite violated its policy. An RA told the study leaders to leave and were banned from the dorm - even though the students wanted to hold the Bible study. The school recently recognized ICF because the group requires its leaders to be professing Christians. Here's a video report from WOGX-TV about the controversy.

Winans Gets Prison

A member of the Winans music family got a 14 year prison sentence today in Detroit for financially defrauding some 1200 investors. Prosecutors say Michael Winans Jr. led an $8 million pyramid scheme. In his sentencing, the judge said Winans ruined the lives of numerous churchgoers.

Pastor Calls Tebow a Whimp

The pastor of the First Baptist Church of Dallas is taking a swipe (as the Washington Post calls it) at Tim Tebow. Robert Jeffress has posted a 10 minute video (below) in which he responds to the controversy that led the sports star to cancel his planned April appearance at the Texas church. Although Jeffress doesn't mention Tebow by name, he rebuked those who haven't stood with him. Jeffress says “I am grateful for men of God like these who are willing to stand up and act like men rather than wimping out when it gets a little controversial and an inconvenient thing to stand for the truth." Jeffress has received negative publicity for his remarks about gays and other religions. Here's the video:

The Couple Behind 'The Bible' Mini-Series

A husband-and-wife team are hoping to do justice to the Bible in a Biblical record in a new, 10-hour series that starts Sunday, March 3, on the History Channel. Read about them here.

Tansgender woman sues Baptist school

A transgender woman is suing California Baptist University in Riverside for allegedly expelling her because of her gender identity. She wants half a million dollars.