Swine Flu

WJBK-TV in Detroit reports on what area churches are doing to stop the spread of swine flu.

Cult Leader Convicted

Arkansas Cult leader Tony Alamo has been convicted on 10 counts of sexual crimes. Several women testified he kept them as sexual partners, not office workers as he claimed. Jurors and witnesses both cried as they told their stories. Alamo will be setenced in about six weeks. His lawyers plan an appeal.

Satanist Arrested

Poice arrested a teenage girl who says she worships Satan for setting a church on fire in Orangevale, California near Sacramento. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints blaze damaged some church pews. Some 50 people were inside at the time.

No Credible Threats to Runaway

Florida investigators say there's no evidence to justify the claims that a teenager who ran away from her Ohio home did so because her life was threatened. Rifqa Bary says her father threatened to kill her because she converting to Christianity from Islam. The 17-year-old girl is in foster care in Orlando, where a judge is deciding whether she should be returned to Ohio.

Women Pastors Study

Women have made substantial gains in the pulpits of Protestant churches. A new study by the Barna Group finds the number of female pastors has doubled since 1999. About 10% of pastors in Protestant churches are now women. Most are in mainline churches. Most are about 55 years old. That’s up from 50 years of age just a decade ago. The average age of male pastors has rises as well, from 48 to 52. 77% of women pastors have
a seminary degree compared with only 63% of male pastors. The average salary for women is $45,300 while male pastors make about $48,600. That’s 21% higher for men than a decade ago and 30% higher for women than a decade ago. Churches led by men typically have about 103 in attendance on Sunday mornings. For women pastors, the number is closer to 81.

Another finding by Barna: The median number of adults attending Protestant church services in 1999 was 108. In 2009, that average had dropped to 101.

Kirk Franklin Caught in Riot

Kirk Franklin is safe after running into riots in Uganda. The Christian singer and his band were in the capital of Kampala last week when mobs began rioting over rumors of the arrest of a popular political figure. Franklin was attending a luncheon with the country's president. Some of the demonstrators were shot by riot police. The bus some of his band members were riding in was pelted with rocks. Here's a video he posted on YouTube about the experience.