Saturday, August 6, 2011

Getting to Know.. Jay Sekulow

Jay Sekulow hosts a daily radio program and heads up the Pat Robertson founded American Center For Law & Justice. Here are some of his court victories:

1987: Wins the right for religious groups to distribute material in airports if other organizations are grantedsuch access

1990: Wins the right for students to form voluntary Bible clubs in public-schools

1993: Wins the right of religious organizations to use public school facilities after-hours

1997: Wins ruling that declares unconstitutional the creation of movable classes zones around abortion clinic clients where protesters are banned

Friday, August 5, 2011

The Rapture Profiteers

Business Week takes a look at the apocalypse industry in an article here.

Thursday, August 4, 2011

Church Disfellowshipped

A North Carolina Baptist group is expelling one of its members for picking a woman to serve as pastor. The Surry Baptist Association in North Carolina is dropping Mount Airy' Flat Rock Baptist Church for installing 28 year old Bailey Nelson as pastor last month.

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Meryer's Wrongful Death Lawsuit

Joyce Meyer's insurance company, Essex Insurance, says it will not pay her legal bills related to a wrongful death lawsuit filed on behalf of murder victims, killed by one of her former bodyguards. The family of the victims is suing the televangelist, saying she and her ministry are liable in the deaths. Meyer's former security chief and personal bodyguard, Christopher Coleman, was convicted for murder in the deaths of his wife and their two sons. Coleman had used the phone and computer provided by the ministry to threaten his wife. He's now serving life in prison

Bible Ministries Merge

The Bible League International and the World Bible Translation Center are merging. The Bible league will keep its headquarters in Illinois while the World Bible Translation Center will continue its translation efforts in Fort Worth, Texas. The employees will come under the Bible League.

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Cyrus Tattoo

Miley Cyrus has angered some of her Christian fans. The singer sent out a photo on Twitter showing her newly tattooed finger. It says "All LOVE is equal." Some people responded to her with Bible verses against homosexuality. She tweeted back, "Where does it say in the Bible to judge others? Oh right. It doesn't. GOD is the only judge honey. 'GOD is love.'"

Getting to Know… Church of Christ Doctrine

• Recognized in 1906
• It is the most conservative of the three Restorationist streams (the other two being the Disciples of Christ and the Christian Churches)
• Baptism by immersion is an integral part of salvation
• Many in the denomination believe Bible prohibits instrumental music in worship services (only a cappella singing)
• Emphasis on New Testament Christianity, congregational independence, weekly observance of the Lord's Supper and the necessity of baptism for salvation.

Women and Faith Poll

Pollster George Barna says women are attending church and reading the Bible less over the last two decades. At the same time, the number of women reporting that they've undergone a spiritual change that remains important to them is up to 44% from 38% twenty years ago. Here are some other findings about American women.
  • Do you believe in a personal God? - yes, 70%
  • Do you believe in a personal devil - yes, 56%
  • Is your religious faith very important to you? - yes, 63%
  • Do you attend church at least once a week? - yes, 44% (For men, it's 42%. Two decades ago it was 55% for women and 48% for men)
  • Do you read the Bible during a typical week? 40% (For men, its 41%. Two decades ago it was 50% for women and 40% for men)

Monday, August 1, 2011

Getting to Know.. Kenneth Copeland

Kenneth Copeland is a 74-year-old Texas televangelist who had a Top 40 hit in the late 50’s called Pledge of Love and sang on American Bandstand. Copeland later attended Oral Roberts University in Tulsa. His ministry sits on a 1500-acre campus near Forth Worth and includes:
  • 500-employees and a budget in the tens of millions of dollars
  • a private airstrip
  • an airplane hangar
  • a $17.5 million jet and other aircraft
  • a $6 million church-owned lakefront mansion
  • an oil and natural gas company with reserves valued at $23 million last year
  • Copeland maintains veto power over anything his board of directors decides.
  • More than a dozen of his relatives were on the church's payroll 14 years ago.