TV preacher dies

Former megachurch pastor Robert Schuller has died in Southern California. The TV preacher who hosted the Hour of Power was 88 years old. His show reached as many as 20 million viewers a week while his glass cathedral filed filed for bankruptcy in 2010, just a few years after Schuller's son took over the pulpit.

Lawsuit over Family Christian Stores bankruptcy

Some well-known Christian publishers are suing Family Christian Stores over inventory issues arising from the chain recently filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Family is the nation's largest retailer of Christian books and gift itemsRead more here.

Protestants: No longer a majority

The American religious landscape is changing. The US is no longer majority Protestant and nearly a quarter of the population has no religious affiliation--about the same number that say they are Catholic. That's according to a recent Pew survey. You can see the Survey information here or read a summary of the findings by state in the Daily Mail here.

The Fastest-Selling Toy of All Time

The fastest-selling Playmobil figure of all time--is a small figurine of Martin Luther. Playmobil says the first edition sold out in less than 72 hours. The German toy manufacturer has it Malta factory is furiously working to meet the demands of the little Luthers. Read more here.

Creationist lawsuit against state

Answers in Genesis is taking the state of Kentucky to court over its theme park. The Ken Ham group wants $18 million in tax rebates for Noah’s Ark theme park which promotes Creationism. The Raw Story has more here.

Megachurch sued by former member

A writer is suing T.D. Jakes' megachurch, claiming he was defamed. David Lee Richardson authored a self-published book titled Sunday Morning Stickup: What Your Pastor Doesn't Want You to Known About Tithes. Read why Richardson filed his lawsuit here.

K-LOVE launches video channel

Christian radio network K-LOVE is launching a video channel with TAPP TV--a subscription-based service that featuring people like Sarah Palin and Herman Cain. The channel is on track to debut this spring.

Former Newsboy says he’s now an atheist

One of the Newsboys founders says he's now an atheist. Fans of the group probably won't remember George Perdikis--he left the group before the first album of the Australian group was recorded. Nevertheless, he helped write some of the songs on the first album. Perdikis talked about his experiences with the group in a Patheos post.

Hillsong docu dropped

Warner Brothers is dropping plans to make a documentary about the Hillsong church and its music. Some 100,000 people attend the Australian megachurch in a dozen different locations. The Worship band Hillsong United has sold more than 16 million albums.

Andrae Crouch Dies

Andrae Crouch has died at the age of 72. The Christian music pioneer suffered a heart attack last weekend and he never recovered. Not only did he write some songs that are considered standards in Christian music (such as The Blood Will Never Lose Its Power and Jesus is the Answer), he wrote music for The Color Purple, The Lion King, worked with Michael Jackson, Madonna, and Quincy Jones. Crouch earned seven Grammys and was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 1998.

How Does 'Exodus' Compare With The Bible's?

Ridley Scott's 3-D version of the Biblical story of Exodus earned the top spot its debut weekend, pulling in more than $24 million--not as good as Noah did on its first weekend. NPR asked professor of Hebrew and comparative literature at the University of California, Berkeley Robert Alter to weigh on on the film. Where did it differ from the Biblical record? You can hear or read the story here.

Many U.S. congregations are still racially segregated, but things are changing

While the degree of racial segregation within religious congregations remains high, some houses of worship in the U.S. have become more diverse in recent years, according to findings from the most recent (2012) National Congregations Study. While about eight-in-ten American congregants still attend services at a place where a single racial or ethnic group comprises at least 80% of the congregation, one-in-five now worship in congregations where no single racial or ethnic group predominates in such a way. Read more at the Pew Research Center.

Former Megachurch pastor gets TV talk show

A onetime megachurch pastor is getting his own TV show on Oprah Winfrey's OWN network. Rob Bell will tape his show in front of a live audience and it will air beginning December 21. Bell's book Love Wins was not only a best-seller, it lead to his resignation from Mars Hill Church, which he started. Here's a same be trailer for "The Rob Bell Show" below.

Journalist investigates big-name evangelicals

A North Carolina journalist has played a major role in toppling "high-profile evangelical leaders such as Mark Driscoll (Mars Hill Church), Bill Gothard (Institute in Basic Principals), and Dinesh D’Souza (Kings College)." Read more at the Charlotte Observer.

The advance of evangelical Protestantism in Latin America

A new study finds "only 69% of adult Latin Americans are now Catholics, down from 92% in 1970. Protestants now account for 19%, up from 4%. Over the same period the share of those with no religious affiliation has grown from 1% to 8%—though most of these people still believe in God." Read more in The Economist.

Mormons acknowledge founders Polygamy

The Mormon church is admitting for the first time that its founder had as many as 40 wives. Read more about the Joseph Smith revelations at the BBC.

Katy Perry's depression

image from Wikimedia Commons

Singer Katy Perry says God helped her overcome depression following her divorce and one of her songs talks about it. She says By the Grace of God was "the first song that I wrote coming to make this record, when I was in a different place, I was in a darker place." Perry told Australian TV host Rove McManus she even had thoughts of suicide. Read more at the Desert News.

Matthew McConaughey is back in church

Matthew McConaughey says having children has sobered him. The Texas native says he changed his priorities--like getting back in church. He tells GQ magazine:

image from Wikimedia Commons

As soon as we had children, I was like, "You know what? That was important to my childhood." Even if it was just for the ritual of giving an hour and a half on Sunday to yourself, to pray and to think about others, even if you're tired or whatever. I noticed how much I missed it and needed it. It's a time for me to take inventory of my last week, to look at what's in the future and say my thank-you's and think about what I can work on to do better.

McConaughey and his family are going to a non-denominational church in Texas. He says, "It's based in the faith that Jesus is the son of God, that he died for our sins, but many different denominations come in."

Read the full article in GQ here.

The rapid spread of Christianity in China

The Economist reports that Christianity "is spreading rapidly, and infiltrating the party’s own ranks" in China.

The line is blurring between house churches and official ones, and Christians are starting to emerge from hiding to play a more active part in society. The Communist Party has to find a new way to deal with all this. There is even talk that the party, the world’s largest explicitly atheist organisation, might follow its sister parties in Vietnam and Cuba and allow members to embrace a dogma other than—even higher than—that of Marx. Predicting Christianity’s growth is even harder. Yang Fenggang of Purdue University, in Indiana, says the Christian church in China has grown by an average of 10% a year since 1980. He reckons that on current trends there will be 250m Christians by around 2030, making China’s Christian population the largest in the world.

Read more in the Economist.

One-in-Five Americans Share Their Faith Online

About the same percentage that tune in to religious talk radio, watch religious TV programs or listen to Christian rock music also share their faith online during a typical week, according to a new Pew Research Poll. These messages reach about half of all Americans. Read more here.