Birth Certificate Leads to Arrest

A homeless man who stole money from the First St. John's Church in York, Pennsylvania left his birth certificate behind. Allen Larry Dawes is now behind bars for the crime.

Jesus Return Expected

A new survey shows 41% of Americans expect Jesus return by 2050. 46% say it will definitely or probably not happen. 58% of those who identified themselves as white evangelicals agreed while only 32% Catholics and 27% of white mainline Protestants share the view. The poll conducted by the Pew Research Center has a 3% margin of error.

Atheist Billboard Campaign

A new billboard campaign in North Carolina is taking a stab at religious values. The boards are sponsored by the North Carolina Secular Association and offer a few words from the Pledge of Allegiance (One Nation Indivisible) but with “under God" missing. The billboards are up along Billy Graham Parkway in Charlotte and other spots in Asheville, Winston-Salem, and Raleigh. Two billboard companies refused to put up the billboards. One said the Pledge ad was too controversial.

Offer to Rebuild Jesus Statue

PETA is offering to rebuild a 60-foot-high statue of Jesus that was burned to the ground by a lightning strike. The animal rights group put the offer in a a letter it sent to the Solid Rock Church in Monroe, Ohio. The catch: PETA wants the Jesus image to hold a lamb and these words placed at the foot of the statue: "Blessed Are the Merciful. Go Vegan."

Creation Lawsuit Rejected

A federal court tossed out a creationist school's lawsuit over whether it can offer a Master's Degree. A judge rejected a bid by the Institute for Creation Research Graduate School to challenge a decision by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, rejecting the institute's request to offer master's degree in science education.

Baptists Divided over Budgets and Baptisms

The Nashville Tennessean has a report on the Southern Baptist Convention gathering in Orlando here.