Lawsuit over Family Christian Stores bankruptcy

Some well-known Christian publishers are suing Family Christian Stores over inventory issues arising from the chain recently filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Family is the nation's largest retailer of Christian books and gift itemsRead more here.

Home for Religion Publishers

Chicago is "home to a number of religion publishers, the result of the migration of certain ethnic and faith groups to the center of the country, but also of Chicago’s historic role as a transportation hub and a center for printing" reports Publishers Weekly. Read more at here.

Harry Potter gets a Christian retelling, minus the magic

what happens if you replace the magic in Harry Potter with Christianity? That's the idea behind some posted fan fiction that's getting some play in the media, But there's also speculation that it's a satirical hoax. Here a video report from Newsy.

Christian Publisher leaving NRB because of the book God and the Gay Christian

The NRB (National Religious Broadcasters) is parting ways with WaterBrook Multnomah because of its association with a new book called God and the Gay Christian. Even though WaterBrook Multnomah handles many best-sellers, including books by Kay Arthur, John Piper and David Jeremiah, the company that owns WaterBrook Multnomah choose to publish Matthew Vines' book God and the Gay Christian under the Convergent Books imprint. In the book, Vines argues for same-gender sex, claiming it is not sinful. Convergent Books and WaterBrook Multnomah are both owned by Penguin Random House.  The Convergent staff wrote an explanation about why God and the Gay Christian was published here.

Christian Singer details battle with Alcoholism in Book

Ashley Cleveland's new autobiography, Little Black Sheep: A Memoir, tells about the singer's parents, who were alcoholics--something that she dealt with as well. She tells Cross Rhythms, "There was quite a bit of alcoholism in my family on both sides so I would say that I have quite a strong genetic predisposition for it and then environmentally I was quite right for it because I was vulnerable and so yes I did, I became an alcoholic and a drug addict myself." Read a detailed review here.

Plagiarism charges against megachurch pastor

Syndicated radio host Janet Mefferd is accusing megachurch pastor Mark Driscoll of plagiarism in several of his books. Driscoll leads Seattle's Mars Hill Church. Read more at Religious News Service here. You can hear the radio interview below.

Rob Bell on Oprah

Rob Bell will be interviewed today on a new episode of Oprah Winfrey's “Super Soul Sunday” over her Oprah Winfrey Network, OWN. They'll be talking about his book What We Talk About When We Talk About God. Bell is founder of Michigan's Mars Hill Bible Church and has stirred controversy among evangelicals with the theology in his books.

Britney Spears names Favorite Christian Author

Britney Spears says her favorite author is Max Lucado. The name of the Texas megachurch pastor came up in response to a Twitter question from a fan. Spears fan Emily Horan asked Spears to name her favorite book. The response was "Anything by Max Lucado." Lucado has written some 100 books with 82 million copies in print, according to the Christian Post. Read more here.

Narnia Book facts

• Written by Christian apologist CS Lewis

• Published in 1950

• Seven Books in the Series

• Sold more than 100 million copies in 47 languages

• A lion named Aslan is a Christ-like figure

• Rights Owned by HarperCollins

• First editions are selling on the web for as much as $20,000

• JRR Tolkien's response to Wardrobe: "It really won't do, you know"

• JK Rowling says she adored Lewis' stories and they influenced Harry Potter


• A music video on Saturday Night Live featured a hip hop song entitled Chronicles of Narnia (Lazy Sunday). You can see the video below.

Does Stephen King believe in God?

Stephen King says the "jury's out" on whether he believes in God or not. The bestselling horror book writer told NPR during an interview:

"I went to Methodist church for years as a kid, and Methodist youth fellowship on Thursday nights. Think of a bottle of soda with the cap off for 24 hours. There weren't very many bubbles left in that stuff by then. It was pretty -- it was Yankee religion and there's really not much in the world that's any more boring than that."

King went on to say that he he is not sure about God and the afterlife. "It's certainly a subject that's interested me, and I think it interests me more the older that I get. And I think we'd all like to believe that after we shuffle off this mortal coil, that there's gonna be something on the other side. Because for most of us, I know for me, life is so rich -- so colorful, and sensual, and full of good things, things to read, things to eat, things to watch, places to go, new experiences -- that I don't want to think that you just go to darkness.... As a kid, death seemed boring to me. As an adult, I think that it seems more like a waste. As far as God and church and religion ... I kind of always felt that organized religion was just basically a theological insurance scam... I choose to believe it, yep. There's no downside to that.... If you say, 'Well, OK, I don't believe in God. There's no evidence of God,' then you're missing the stars in the sky and you're missing the sunrises and sunsets and you're missing the fact that bees pollinate all these crops and keep us alive and the way that everything seems to work together. Everything is sort of built in a way that to me suggests intelligent design. But, at the same time, there's a lot of things in life where you say to yourself, 'Well, if this is God's plan, it's very peculiar,' and you have to wonder about that guy's personality — the big guy's personality. And the thing is — I may have told you last time that I believe in God — what I'm saying now is I choose to believe in God, but I have serious doubts and I refuse to be pinned down to something that I said 10 or 12 years ago. I'm totally inconsistent."

Brennan Manning dies

Brennan Manning has passed away at the age of 78. Best known as the writer of the The Ragamuffin Gospel , Manning died yesterday following several years of declining health. He was 78. The book was especially inspiring to some Christian musicians ,including Michael W. Smith, Michael Card and the late Rich Mullins, who named his band in honor of Manning's book. One popular quote of Manning, spoken by Carman on DC Talk song ("What if I Stumble?"), goes like this:

"The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips and walk out the door and deny Him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable.”

Manning attended Pennsylvania's Saint Francis College and was ordained a Franciscan priest in 1963. He taught theology at the University of Stuebenville in Ohio and became the spiritual director of Saint Francis Seminary. His association with the Little Brothers of Jesus of Charles de Foucald included living in France, Spain and Switzerland. Manning struggled with alcoholism, briefly relapsing when he returned to the U.S. He writing showed a brutal brokenness, endearing him to his readers.

Dobson writes Novel

Religious News Service interviews James Dobson about his new novel here.

Is ‘The Hobbit’ a ‘Christian’ film?

Religion News Service weighs in on the issue here.

Do angels really exist?

An author talks about his new book on angles in this Fox News interview.

One word overshadows rest of author's book

Read the story of a Christian book controversy here.

Bookstore Drops Book over Controversy

The bookstore chain run by the Southern Baptist church won't stock a book because it includes the word vagina. LifeWay Christian Resources decided against stocking Rachel Held Evans book A Year of Biblical Womanhood: How a Liberated Woman Found Herself Sitting on Her Roof, Covering Her Head, and Calling Her Husband Master. The author says she was advised by her editor to remove the word before it was published. She did - until an outcry from her readers changed her mind when they started an Amazon petition to keep the word in the book. The book comes out at the end of the month.

Baylor Prof wins Philosophy Award

C. Stephen Evans is winner of the C.S. Lewis Book Prize Competition. The Baylor Philosopy prof took the award for the best book published in the philosophy of religion or philosophical theology written for a general audience in the last five years with his Natural Signs and the Knowledge of God: A New Look at Theistic Arguments. Minnesota's University of St. Thomas hands out the award which is funded by the John Templeton Foundation. It includes a $15,000 prize.

Jefferson Book Gets new Publisher

Glenn Beck may publish David Barton's controversial book about Thomas Jefferson. Thomas Nelson Publishers dropped The Jefferson Lies last week after secular media and some Christian professors criticized it as inaccurate history. The History News Network labeled it the least credible history book in print last month. But former Fox News host Glenn Beck's publishing arm, Mercury Ink, is in talks to pick it up. If the new deal goes forward, Barton plans some changes to the text that he says will clear up some confusion about his position. Beck wrote the introduction to Barton's book where he said Barton "proves once and for all that our Founding Father was no secularist."

Christian Publisher Pulls Book

Thomas Nelson is dropping a bestselling book over questions about its contents. The Jefferson Lies: Exposing the Myths You've Always Believed About Thomas Jefferson was written by Texan David Barton. Many historians have taken issue with it, especially calling Jefferson a "conventional Christian." WallBuilders, Barton's own organization, will continue to make it the book available.

Seattle Times on Jazz Movie

The Seattle Times reviews the film Blue Like Jazz, based on the Christian book by the same title, here.