Christian music loses one of its Pioneers

Christian music has lost one of its founding fathers. Billy Ray Hearn died this week at the age of 85. You may not know his name but Hearn was a critical part of getting the careers launched of artists like Amy Grant, Michael Card and Steven Curtis Chapman. Read more here.

Islam is on track to overtake Christianity

Islam is the youngest major religion and 34 percent of its followers are younger than 15 (compared with 27 percent for Christianity), according to a new Pew Center report. Muslims also have a higher average fertility rate, at 3.1 children per woman, compared with 2.7 for Christians. Read more here.

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.