Voting for an Atheist

Most Americans says they are willing to vote for a qualified presidential candidate who is an atheist. A Gallup poll finds 54% would do so - the highest percentage since the question was first asked in 1958. Back then, only 18% said they would vote for an atheist. The 54% mark is still less than the percentage that say they would vote for gays/lesbians (68%) and Muslims (58%).

Gabby lets her faith be known

Right after she became the first black woman to win an Olympic all-around individual gymnastics gold medal, Gabby Douglas told a television a
udience, “I give all the glory to God. It’s kind of a win-win situation. The glory goes up to him and the blessings fall down on me.” She had blogged for ESPN, “Gotta give God the Glory! Thank you everyone for praying for me! It means so much to me!” During the first round of competition, one of the NBC commentators said one of ways she prepares for the pressure is “meditating on Scripture.” After the contest Douglas tweeted, “Let all that I am praise the LORD; may I never forget the good things He does for me.”

Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day

It was a record setting day at Chick-fil-A. CNN offers a video report below on ChristianNewsToday.com.

Newsboys take Legal Action

A Christian band is suing a hip hop group for trademark infringement. The Newsboys say the music of the California-based duo calling themselves New Boyz is “sexually charged and the lyrics are sexually explicit in content,” and its name has led to “several instances of actual confusion." The Newsboys have been playing Christian music for more than a quarter century but the New Boyz formed just three years ago. Adding to the confusion is that the New Boyz have an African-American lead singer while rap artist Michael Tait is now the new lead singer of the Newsboys, the first non-white member of the Christian band. Representatives for the groups are due in court at the end of August.

Megachurch Pastor Fired

An Indiana megachurch has fired its pastor for committing "a sin that has caused him to forfeit his right to be our pastor." The First Baptist Church of Hammond says police are investigating former pastor Jack Schapp and his involvement with a teenager associated with Hyles Anderson College, which is run by the church. She was allegedly 16 years old when she became involved with Schapp. First Baptist has 15,000 members and claims to have the nation's largest Sunday school. Here's a video report from a Chicago TV station.

Chicigo Pastors respond to Mayor's Chick-fil-A comments

Fox News offers an interview with a Chicago church leader over a stance by Rahm Emanuel.

Is American a Christian Nation?

Most Evangelical leaders say the U.S. is not a Christian nation. A survey of some 100 leaders by the National Association of Evangelicals found 68% said "no." However, many of them said they had hope that missionaries could make it more Christian.

Land Leaving Post

The top ethics official for the Southern Baptist Convention is stepping down. Richard Land says he'll retire next year. By that time, he'll have been president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission for 25 years. Land quite his radio show after he make controversial comments about the Trayvon Martin shooting. He said that black leaders were exploiting case for political gain. Ironically, Land was one of the chief architects of a 1995 resolution by Southern Baptists apologizing for their role in supporting slavery and racism.

Christian Singers "Coming Out"

Read the story in Forbes here.

Church responds to Wedding Controversy

WLBT-TV speaks with members of a Mississippi church where the wedding of a Black couple was not allowed. WLBT.com - Jackson, MS

The "right to pray" Ballot Measure

The St. Louis Dispatch takes a look at Missouri's Amendment two. Supporters say the measure would protect Missourians' right to pray in public. Critics says it is unnecessary because the right is covered in the constitution and that could lead to frivolous lawsuits. Read the story here.

Bible Museum in the Works

A Bible museum may soon open in Washington, DC near the National Mall. A group called The Museum of the Bible says it has agreed to buy a building for the proposed museum. It would be housed in what is now the Washington Design Center. The nonprofit organization says the museum will take a "non-sectarian, scholarly approach that makes the history, scholarship and impact of the Bible on virtually every facet of society accessible to everyone." Planner hope to open the doors in four years, starting with the collection from a family of Oklahoma billionaires with more than 55,000 items including biblical artifacts ranging from Dead Sea Scrolls and scrolls that survived the Holocaust.

Church Support Wanes

A new Gallup poll shows confidence in churches or organized religion is at a new low. Only 44% of Americans who were asked said they had a "great deal" or "quite a lot" of confidence. During the 1970s, the positive response to the question reached as high as 68%.

Evangelicals on the march

From The Week magazine: In a sign of the exploding popularity of evangelical Christianity, at least 1 million evangelicals turned out for this year’s “March for Jesus” in Brazil. Over the past decade, Catholics have dropped from 74 percent of the country’s population to 65 percent, while Protestants have jumped from 15 percent to 22 percent, mostly evangelicals and Pentecostals. These sects are spreading rapidly through megachurches, the Internet, and an army of pastors. The Assemblies of God alone has 50,000 ordained pastors in Brazil, compared with some 25,000 Catholic priests.