DC Radio Boost

A Washington DC Christian radio station has become one of the most listened to stations in the city, thanks to a new method of determining who’s listening. WGTS-FM is a noncommercial contemporary Christian music station. It showed up at #6 in Arbitron’s ratings last month. That puts it ahead of Washington's biggest rock, country, conservative talk and oldies stations.

The Seventh-day Adventist Church runs the station out of its Columbia Union College with just eight employees. The school nearly sold the station recently but complaints from listeners changed the minds of trustees.

Lowe's Cashier Fired for Pen

A former Lowe's cashier employee says she was fired for wearing a pin that read: It's called Christmas, for Christ's sake.

Kristie Sutton worked for the home improvement store near Knoxville, Tennessee. She said the button was a gift from a customer. But another customer complained and she was asked to remove it and later fired.
Lowe's says it’s workers can offer a Merry Christmas to customers but not wear religious pins. The store released this statement:

Personnel matters are confidential, so we're unable to share any
information; however, Lowe's follows all federal, state and local laws governing
employment including laws prohibiting discrimination on the basis of religion.

Long John Silver's Apology

Long John Silver’s has issued an apology to a Muslim family in Minnesota for not providing an alternative to a toy that came with a kid’s meal for their three-year-old child. The family received a Build with Jesus notepad featuring a Bible verse. When the family asked for an alternative, nothing was provided. A Muslim civil rights group complained and now the owner has apologized.

The Lincoln Bible

The burgundy velvet Bible used at Abraham Lincoln’s inauguration will be used to swear in Barack Obama on January 20th. The Bible is owned by the Library of Congress and Obama will be the first president to use it since Lincoln. Obama also plans to take the same train route that Lincoln took and holding a welcome event at the Lincoln Memorial.

The Bible will be on display at the Library of Congress from February to May and then visit five US cities: Sacramento, Chicago, Indianapolis, Atlanta, and Omaha. February 12th will be the bicentennial of Lincoln's birth in 1809.

Projection: English Church to Collapse

New research suggests the number of people attending Church of England services will fall by 90% by 2050. The figures come from Christian Research, the statistical arm of England's Bible Society. Right now about a million people attend now. Christian Research says the number will plummet to 88,000 in about 40 years. The Church of England scoffs at the claim, saying the research is flawed and doesn’t take into account changes underway in its use of contemporary services.

A License for Faith Healers

Russia’s Federal Health Service is handing out licenses to faith healers and anyone else that proscribes traditional medicine to patients. That includes herbal treatments claims of paranormal powers, cleansing of auras and even those who say they can read minds or cast spells. In the last two years, more than 130 have gone through the government’s voluntary testing program that claims to determine if someone has an ability to cure – by whatever mean they choose.

Objections to Warren's Selection

The first openly gay member of Congress is adding his voice to a chorus of leaders in the gay community who object to Barack Obama’s invitation to pastor Rick Warren. Obama picked the megachurch pastor to deliver the invocation at his inauguration. Congressman Barney Frank says he is deeply offended. Warren has said that he has nothing personally against gays but does not support same-sex marriage. Obama is defending his decision.