The Most Bible-minded American Cities

The American Bible Society has come out with its list of the most "Bible-minded" American cities. Chattanooga takes over the top spot this year from Knoxville, which held it in 2012. Other Southern cities follow while East coast towns populate the bottom. The only large American city in the top 10 is Charlotte, North Carolina.

1. Chattanooga
2. Birmingham, Al.
3. Roanoke/Lynchburg, Va.
4. Springfield, Mo.
5. Shreveport, La.

Academy Award nomination for Christian singer

Christian author and singer Joni Eareckson Tada is up for an Oscar. She sings the title song from the film Alone Yet Not Alone. The song is up for Best Original Song. Written by Bruce Broughton and Dennis Spiegel, it beat out songs from Jay Z, Taylor Swift and Coldplay, among others. Alone Yet Not Alone is the only song that doesn't come from an animated movie. It's up against Karen O's The Moon Song from Her, Pharrell Williams' Happy from Despicable Me 2, U2's Ordinary Love from Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom" and Let it Go from Frozen. Here's a video of Tada, who is a paraplegic, singing the song. The movie opens nationwide in March.

TV show about a Texas megachurch

NBC has ordered a pilot episode of a show about a Texas megachurch. The working title is Salvation. The lead character's husband dies under mysterious circumstances. Read more about it at Deadline.

Chartig new evangelical waters in documentary films

The Denver Post takes a look at efforts by Colorado Springs-based Focus on the Family to move into documentary film, particularly it's nationwide effort to push Irreplaceable in theaters this summer. The paper quotes the head of Focus on the Family as saying, "Culture is led by entertainment. We're awakening to the fact we have to do more in this (area). Just getting in the public policy arena and slugging it out — we're not not doing it very well." Read more here.

The declining membership numbers of the Protestant church

The dramatic decline in confidence in organized religion is unmistakable. According to the General Social Surveys of the National Opinion Research Center, the percentage of Americans who have a great deal of confidence in organized religion declined dramatically from 2000 to 2010—and the decline was nearly the same for evangelicals as for oldliners. Surprisingly, the biggest decline among any age group within these families is among older evangelicals. Among that group, the number expressing confidence in organized religion fell from 42 percent to 26. Indeed, this was the largest decline for any family or age group except among younger black Protestants—another ominous sign for an established segment of American religion. Read more at the Christian Century here.

Baptist churches bet on college footbal

Two churches made a bet on the outcome of the BCS National Championship game. The First Baptist Church of Auburn and First Baptist Church of Tallahassee agreed to travel to the other's city if the opposing team won the game. Since Florida State beat Auburn, a group from the Auburn church will travel to Tallahassee for a summer mission trip.

Atheist church schism

A non-religious gathering started last year in London already has a breakaway group forming. Read more at CNN.

One year without God

California pastor Ryan Bell has lost his teaching positions and a consulting job after announcing he would live the year as an atheist. “I am not sure what I am. That’s part of what this year is about,” he told the Huffington Post. Read the full story at Charisma Magazine.

Christian Singer details battle with Alcoholism in Book

Ashley Cleveland's new autobiography, Little Black Sheep: A Memoir, tells about the singer's parents, who were alcoholics--something that she dealt with as well. She tells Cross Rhythms, "There was quite a bit of alcoholism in my family on both sides so I would say that I have quite a strong genetic predisposition for it and then environmentally I was quite right for it because I was vulnerable and so yes I did, I became an alcoholic and a drug addict myself." Read a detailed review here.

Ala. pastor charged with murder, arrested trying to flee country

Richard Shahan tried to get on a flight to Germany but was stopped--and now faces charges he shot and killed his wife. He resigned from the First Baptist Church of Birmingham on Tuesday. WVTM-TV has a video report.

WVTM-TV: News, Weather, and Sports for Birmingham, AL

Atheism’s 10 defining moments

Atheism found its way into the headlines several times this year. One of the writers for Religious News Service has put together a list of 10 of "atheism’s defining moments and trends from the last year." This includes congregations of nonbelievers meeting, atheists becoming more visible in the U.S. military and the rise of "compassionate atheism." Read more from Religious News Service.

Mennonites to license first openly gay pastor

from First Mennonite Church of Denver

Mountain States will be the first Mennonite Church USA conference in to license an openly gay pastor. Theda Good will serve at the First Mennonite Church of Denver. She's been on staff for more than a year. Good earned a master of divinity degree from Virginia's Eastern Mennonite Seminary. Read more details in the Mennonite World Review.

Katy Perry says she's left her childhood faith

Katy Perry says she is no longer a Christian. The pop star told Marie Claire Magazine she no longer believes in Heaven or Hell either--just a "higher power bigger than me because that keeps me accountable... I’m not Buddhist, I’m not Hindu, I’m not Christian, but I still feel like I have a deep connection with God." Perry's parents are evangelists and she started out as a Christian singer.

Don’t like hearing Merry Christmas? Here’s some advice for you…

Texas megachurch Pastor John Hagee advises atheists who don’t like Christmas to “leave the country” or “take your Walkman and stuff it into your ears.” Here's what he had to say this past Sunday to his congregation.

Belief in the Virgin Birth among Americans

More than two-out-of-three Americans (73%) say they believe Jesus was born of a virgin. That's the finding of a Pew Research survey. A third of those with no religious affiliation (32%) say they believe in the virgin birth as well. There's a split though among the young and those that are older. Two-thirds of adults under age 30 say they believe Jesus was born of a virgin, compared with three-quarters (76%) of those age 30 and older. Read more at the Pew Research Center.

Megachurch pastor passes

Megachurch pastor Ken Hutcherson has died at the age of 61 after a long battle with cancer. Hutcherson led the Antioch Bible Church in Kirkland, Washington. The church has posted this message:

“Antioch Bible Church sadly announces that shortly before noon today our Senior Pastor Dr. Ken Hutcherson was ushered in the [presence] of the Lord. Please pray for comfort and peace for the family. The family asked that you give them some privacy at this time.”

2013 report on Megachurches

There are megachurches in 48 countries with 1,650 residing in the U.S. That's according to new research published on Church Executive. The denominations with the most megachurches: Southern Baptists, United Methodists, Evangelical Lutherans. Read more details on megachurches here.

Prophecy Preacher dies

Harold Camping has died. The end times preacher who made a splash in 2011 for predicting Judgment Day would take place in May of that year was 92 years old. He changed his date from May 21 to Oct 21 when he was proven wrong. Camping did the same thing in 1994. Camping fell at his home last month and never recovered from his injuries. Camping helped to found Family Radio, a Christian radio network based in Oakland, which was severely hurt financially by Camping's mistaken proclamations.

Part of polygamy law struck down

The stars of the TV show Sister Wives has won a lawsuit against the part of Utah's law banning polygamy. Read more at CNN here.

Man of the Year: Pope Francis

TIME magazine has selected Pope Francis as its man of the year, saying "What makes this Pope so important is the speed with which he has captured the imaginations of millions who had given up on hoping for the church at all... Francis has elevated the healing mission of the church—the church as servant and comforter of hurting people in an often harsh world.. Francis is a former janitor, nightclub bouncer, chemical technician and literature teacher." Read more here or watch TIME's video below.