New Seminary coming to NY

Redeemer Presbyterian Church and Reformed Theological Seminary are forming a seminary next year in New York City. The partnership "reflects the influence of Reformed theology on evangelical thinking, as well as the impact of megachurches on theological education," according to the Christian Century.

Half-time challenge

A student at Mars Hill Bible School won $100k to pay for college during a halftime event at the SEC championship football game today in Atlanta. Brooks Bergman is a cancer survivor. Read the story here.

School: God is Dead poster stays

Parents of students at Covington, Georgia high school are trying to get the school to take down a display they say is offensive. The poster that's caused the outrage has a quote from Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible which reads God is Dead. Alcovy High School administrators are defending the project, saying it is designed to educate students about Salem Witch trials and the hunt for Communists during the McCarthy era. Here's a video report from Atlanta's Fox affiliate.

Girl Kicked off Football Team

A Christian school kicked a 12-year-old girl off the football because, school officials say, she will cause the boys to lust after her if she plays. Maddy Paige had four sacks to her credit as a starter last season playing defensive end, before Strong Rock Christian School in Locust Grove, Georgia cut her. WXIA-TV has a video report below.

Bibles in the Classroom

CNBC interview explores why the couple behind the Bible mini-series believes public schools Should teach the Bible in classrooms.

Attempt to Ban Bell Ringers on Campus

There's an effort to ban the Salvation Army bell ringers from UC Berkeley by students who object to the group's stance on homosexuality. The student government at the California school past an anti-bell ringer resolution accusing the charity of discrimination and demanding the administration revoke the Army's permit to collect donations on campus. In response, the ministry denies the charges, saying the accusations are based on Internet rumors and not facts. The Army's says it does not require those it helps to agree with its doctrines, as the student resolution claims.

Singing Instead of Praying

KXNW-TV reports on a school where preschoolers are singing Bible verses instead of praying because of new federal laws. Here's the video.

Banner Controversy

NBC News offers this reports on a story we told you about last week - run-through banners at football games at a Texas school.

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Update on TX Verse Ban

The ban on Bible verses on banners at a Texas school we told you about yesterday is on hold. A judge has stepped in, issuing a temporary restraining order while he considers a lawsuit filed by parents of cheerleaders. The parents claim in the suit that the ban amounts to speech censorship. Cheerleaders at Kountze High School in Beaumont were told to stop by the school superintendent.

Bible Verses on Banners Banned at TX Football Games

Texas educators are telling cheerleaders to stop putting Bible verses on banners for high school football games. The Texas Association of School Boards told the Kountze Independent School District to get rid of the verses after a resident complained that the banner one of the teams runs through at the start of games has a Bible reference. The cheerleaders say no school money was involved and the signs were not designed on school property.

Mark of the Beast?

A Louisiana elementary school is running into opposition implementing a school program involving a palm scanner. KPLC-TV has a video report. KPLC 7 News, Lake Charles, Louisiana

The Candy Cane Case

The Supreme Court has decided not to reconsider a lower court ruling known as the candy case case. Two Plano, Texas elementary school principals refused to let students hand out cane pens with a Christian message. Four families sued, but the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans ruled the two were protected from liability. At the same time, the Appeals court ruled the First Amendment rights of the children might have been violated by the principals. Some other aspects of the case have not been settled by the courts yet.

Parents Outraged over Decision

A school principal in Coney Island, New York says her students can't sing Lee Greenwood's “God Bless the USA” at their June 20th graduation even though kindergartners spent months learning the patriotic tune. Greta Hawkins, principal at Edna Cohen School did, however, approve Justin Bieber's song Baby. The kids were also planning to wave small flags as they sang that America, “still stands for freedom.” Hawkins told staffers, “We don’t want to offend other cultures.” A Department of Education spokeswoman says the department supports the decision because the lyrics “too grown up” for 5-year-olds. A student sung the song a year ago - and got a standing ovation. Hawkins is a Jehovah’s Witness who does not recite the pledge of allegiance.

Offensive Poster of Jesus

A photo depicting Jesus saying, "I want you to kill all infidels" is hanging in an elementary school in California. The image, with Jesus pointing like Uncle Sam in a recruitment poster, is part of a series drawn at the Hamilton Elementary School when second grade students were learning about the crusades. The parents of one child complained back in March, but school officials refuse to take it down. Fresno's KFSN-TV has this video report.

Campus Preacher Wins Appeal

An appeals court has sided with a preacher against a Tennessee school that said he couldn't give out tracts or speak on campus without a two week wait. John McGlone was forced to leave Tennessee Technical University. He filed a lawsuit and it was thrown out by a judge. But the Sixth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals says the state school's speaking permit rules are unconstitutional. The three-judge panel ruled campus sidewalks are a “public forum” and therefore any regulation on the content of speech is unconstitutional, unless justified by a “significant” government interest. Even the school's own lawyers admited the 14 day waiting period is burdensome and overly long.

Reward for Jesus Costume

An atheist group is giving a scholarship to a Tennessee student for dressing up as Jesus. The Freedom From Religion Foundation is giving Jeff Shott of Springhill its $1,000 scholarship for "Fictional Character Day." Shott wore the costume to high school and his principal made him remove it.

Banners Taken Down at FL School

A Miami high school teacher has taken down banners from his classroom that say In God We Trust, God Bless America and God Shed His Grace on Thee. They hung in Bradley Johnson's Westview High School classroom for years, but in 2007, school administrators ordered them removed. Johnson went to court and won, but that decision was overturned by an appeals court in favor of the Poway School District. Johnson then appealed to the Supreme Court, but the justices chose not to hear his case.

Dropping "God" from God Bless the USA

Lee Greenwood is blasting a Boston school for taking the word God out of his song God Bless The USA. Greenwood says,  “The most important word in the whole piece of music is the word God, which is also in the title. Maybe the school should have asked the parents their thoughts before changing the lyrics to the song. They could have even asked the writer of the song, which I of course, would have said you can’t change the lyrics at all or any part of the song.”  Here's a video report from Fox's Boston TV station.

School changes lyrics from 'God Bless the USA' to 'We love the USA' : MyFoxBOSTON.com

Campus to be Given Away to Christian School

An Oklahoma family worth billions is giving away an entire college campus. There are 15 schools in the running to take over what was supposed to be a new college named after CS Lewis. The institution never materialized because the CS Lewis Foundation in California has had trouble raising the money to get the school off the ground. Now the family that owns the Massachusetts property and made its fortune through the Hobby Lobby craft store chain, has 43 buildings on more than 200 acres ready for use, but no school. They put $5 million into making improvements to the campus and say they want to see it used by a Christian school - provided the new administrators can show an orthodox Christian vision and that there is enough money to keep it going. The facilities are sometimes referred to as the "Moody Campus" because evangelist DL Moody preached once there. Among the schools in the running: Liberty, Azusa Pacific, and Indiana Wesleyan.

Appeal Court: Student Expulsion Could be Religious Hostility

An appeals court has sided with a student who was expelled from her university for refusing to counsel a client about a same-sex relationship. Julea Ward told professors at Eastern Michigan University her Christian faith prevented her from supporting the sexual orientation of gay clients. She asked to have a gay client referred to another counselor. Instead, she was kicked out of school. A judge said the university was within its right to remove her from the program since she was unwilling to fulfill its requirements for a counseling degree. But today, the Sixth Appeals court said Ward's claim could be legitimate and sent it back to the lower court for further consideration. The judges said that she may have been dismissed because of "hostility toward her speech and faith." A spokesperson for the school says the case is really about doing what's best for the client.  The decision returns the case to the district court for a jury trial. The Sixth Circuit includes Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee, so the legal precedent applies only to those states.