School Sells TV Station

Baylor is selling its Waco, Texas PBS TV station to a pastor who says three people tried to extort millions of dollars from him to stay quiet about an affair. Marcus Lamb founded the DayStar Television Network and heads the group buying the TV station, Community Television Educators for a quarter of a million dollars. It went off the air a year ago because of financial problems. Lamb says he decided to admit to the affair publicly because of the extortion attempt.

Santorum's View on Marriage Challenged

CNN’s Piers Morgan accuses presidential candidate Rick Santorum of bigotry. Read the story here.

The New Yorker and Francis Schaeffer

Ryan Lizza wrote an article in the The New Yorker about Michele Bachmann’s intellectual formation. It includes a negative portrayal of Christian theologian and philosopher Francis Schaeffer. Read a rebuttal here in the New York Times.

College Loses Religious Speech Case

The Supreme Court has decided not to hear an appeal by the University of Wisconsin in a case involving funding religious speech. A student group called Badger Catholic Inc. asked for $253,000 in funding from UW Madison's fee system which supports hundreds of student organizations. The school withheld $35,000 of the amount that was going to go for activities the University deemed “proselytizing, religious instruction and worship.” Badger Catholic sued, arguing that the decision amounted to discrimination against religious speech. The 7th Circuit Court agreed in a 2-1 decision.

Earthquake Church to Rebuild

A church located near the center of the Virginia earthquake plans to rebuilt. WTOP radio files a report here.

Koran-Burning Pastor to Ground Zero

Florida pastor Terry Jones says he'll be in New York during ceremonies marking the 9/11 terror attacks. Mayor Michael Bloomberg is leading the anniversary events. Jones says he will protest the exclusion of first responders and clergy from the program. He came to national attention when he threatened to burn a Koran.

School lnvestigates Singers

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is investigating a Christian singing group. Officials are questioning a decision to remove a member who is gay. Members of the group say the decision had nothing to do with the singer's sexual orientation, but UNC is looking into whether the cappella group Psalm 100 broke the university’s nondiscrimination policy.

Egyptian Leader

Egyptian telecommunications billionaire Naguib Sawiris wants to become the next president of the country. He has started a political party called the Free Egyptian Party and wants to create a secular democratic government in Egypt. What many in the West will find interesting is that he is a Coptic Christian who stands in opposition to the Muslim majority and Islamist threat his country faces.

A very muscular brand of Christianity

The Guardian takes a look at "Why Jesus has undergone a macho makeover" in an article here.

Saving Aimee

Kathie Lee Gifford is telling the story of faith healer Aimee Semple McPherson through her musical Saving Aimee at the 5th Avenue Theatre in Seattle. The promotional material for the show describes the story this way:

Tangled with scandalous love affairs and a tabloid-frenzied trial, this powerful new musical tells the real-life story of Aimee Semple McPherson — the charismatic leader of a theatrical super church in 1920s L.A. who was equally passionate about saving souls and making headlines.

Scientology fined $413,000

The Church of Scientology owes the city of Clearwater more than $410,000 in fines. The city's code enforcement board unanimously to fine the church for not getting its new building up to snuff fast enough. The church first applied for a building permit in 1999 and work started the next year, but stopped in 2004. After two years passed with no progress, the city started fining the group for allowing its permit to lapse to the tuen of $250 day. That ended in June of this year when the city finally issued the certificate of occupancy. The church has 30 days to pay the fine or appeal.

Clergy Banned from 9/11 Memorial Service

New York mayor Michael Bloomberg won't allow clergy to attend a memorial service marking 10 years since the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. Here is a report on the story from Fox News.

Eddie Long Accusers Speak Out

Two of the men who accused megachurch pastor Eddie Long of coercing them into sexual relationships gave an extensive interview to the Atlanta Journal Constitution. Read an excerpt here.

Jay Bakker on CNN

Pastor Never Attended Liberty

Liberty University says a South Carolina pastor who faces rape charges never attended the school founded by Jerry Falwell. Dale Richardson is the pastor at Freedom Free Will Baptist Church in Ladson, South Carolina. Prosecutors say he kidnapped three women at gunpoint, assaulting one of the women behind the church sanctuary.

Mega church makes mega commitment to Charlotte

WBTV reports on what Elevation Church is calling its "Orange Initiative."

Pastor Accused of Raping Women at Church

A Baptist preacher is facing charges he raped three women, at least one of them behind his church. WCIV-TV has a video report.

Machine Gun Preacher

A movie poster is stirring controversy for its depiction of a pastor with a gun. Machine Gun Preacher is the story of a drug dealer converted to Christ. The film is based on the true story of brawling biker Sam Childers, who became an evangelical preacher, traveling to Sudan where he organized armed missions to rescue children kidnapped by gorilla fighters and forced to become soldiers or sex slaves. The film will be shown at Toronto Film Festival next month and in some US cities starting September 23. The action-drama was directed by Marc Forster (Monster’s Ball, Quantum of Solace) who says at his first meeting with Childers they nearly came to blows. Childers still runs the mission he built. Here's the trailer.

Dead Sea Scroll Video Game

The Dead Sea Scrolls come to vivid and surreal life in the new, elaborately named video game, El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron. Read the story in the USA Today.

The Bible: The Musical

A new musical called The Bible: The Beginning will open in New York in about a year. Director Philip William McKinley is producing the project with Spider-Man's Michael Cohl. The show will reportedly include tumblers, jugglers, singers, aerialists and fighters to re-enact the Creation, Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, Noah's Ark, Moses and his clash with the Pharaoh, the plagues of Egypt and the parting of the Red Sea, all culminating in the delivery of The Ten Commandments. Angels will serve as narrators.

The Future of Ichthus

Kentucky's Christian music festival may not make it another year. CNN reports on the country's oldest music gathering here.

Church Sign: "Turn or Burn"

Controversy over a church sign leads to protests in Wilmington, North Carolina. Read about the story here.

Tim Tebow accused of Blasphemy

Sports columnist Gregg Doyel says he's getting a major backlash from his CBS Sports column that accuses quarterback Tim Tebow of "blasphemy" for believing his faith will help him become an NFL success. Tebow told the Denver Post that he is "relying as always on my faith." Here's part of Doyel's column:

Tebow has been a great billboard for Christianity -- just as Muhammad Ali has been a great billboard for Islam, and Sandy Koufax a great billboard for Judaism -- but that doesn't mean he will be rewarded with a starting job in the NFL. Maybe deep inside his heart Tebow knows that, but from the outside it doesn't look that way. From the outside it looks like Tebow equates his love for God in heaven with tangible rewards here on earth. And that's more than wrong. It's blasphemy.

Read the entire article here.

Drugs Found on Dead Megachurch Pastor

News outlets are reporting there were drugs in the possession of Zachery Tims when he was found dead in a New York City hotel last Friday. The megachurch pastor of Florida's New Destiny Christian Center had battled drug addiction before his conversion. His 2006 book talked about his experiences with gangs and selling drugs. He made regular appearances on the TBN network. While the drugs found on him have not been confirmed as illegal, police say it is possible Tims died of an overdose. A wake is planned Friday and a funeral on Saturday in Orlando.

Stolen Rembrandt is dropped off in L.A. pastor's office

Read the article written by the LA Times here.

Kobe Bryant in Church Altercation

Kobe Bryant is being accused of attacking a man while attending church. The NBA star was attending services at San Diego’s St. Therese of Carmel this past Sunday when the man used his cellphone to take pictures of Bryant and his wife. Bryant told him to stop and grabbed the phone, twisting the man's wrist. The man went to the hospital for treatment. Here's a video report from KTLA.

CNN: Girl spanked to death in the name of God

Prof Leaves Christian College over Evolution

John Schneider has left his position as a religion professor at Michigan's Calvin College. The trouble started when he wrote a paper earlier this year "suggesting that evidence of genetics and evolution raised questions about the traditional, literal reading of Genesis about creation, the story of Adam and Eve, and the fall of humanity out of an initial idyllic state," according to Inside Higher Ed. An investigation by the school led to Schneider's departure, though another professor who has made similar comments is still at the college. Daniel Harlow says he won't back down from his views.

Islam Hotline

Megachurch Pastor found Dead

The pastor of a Florida megachurch has bee found dead at a New York City hotel room. An autopsy is planned for Zachery Tims though police say they don't expect any foul play. Tims was senior pastor of the New Desnity Christian Center in Apopka, Florida, which has some 8000 members. The church plans a meeting tonight to discuss his passing. Tims divorced in 2009 and had four children. He often appeared on the Trinity Broadcast Network (TBN).

How Rembrandt saw Jesus

Here's a Washington Post article about “Rembrandt and the Face of Jesus” at the Philadelphia Museum of Art through Oct. 30. Read the story here.

In Jerusalem, scholars trace Bible's evolution

A look at efforts by scholars at Hebrew University to publish an authoritative edition of the Old Testament. Read about it here.

Colbert: God Could Use an Ad Campaign

Comedian Stephen Colbert takes a look at a new Mormons new ad campaign and suggests one for Catholics and God.

The Colbert Report
Get More: Colbert Report Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,Video Archive

10 Years Later

Read about singing God Bless America at major league baseball games here.

Starbucks & Willow Creek

Starbucks' CEO and founder has abruptly cancelled an appearance at Willow Creek Community Church. Howard Schultz was supposed to speak at the Chicago megachurch Friday, but an online petition insisting he denounce the congregation's views on homosexuality started bringing negative publicity to the company. His talk was titled “How Starbucks Fought for its Life Without Losing Its Soul.” Willow Creek holds a leadership summit each year. The company would not confirm the cancellation had to do with the campaign.

Creditors Threaten Legal Action

The Garden Grove Church must sell the Crystal Cathedral or creditors say they will sue the southern California megachurch. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange County is offering more than $50 million for the 40 acres.

CNN Segment on Religion and Politics

Adam And Eve

NPR takes a look at Evangelicals and the story of Adam and Eve here.

Ministry Layoffs

Prison Fellowship, founded in 1976 by former Nixon aide Chuck Colson, is laying off more than 70 employees. The ministry to inmates blames the economy. Former Michigan past Jim Liske is taking over as CEO and former Atlanta pastor Garland Hunt is now president. Some 8,500 churches and 14,000 volunteers work with Prison Fellowship in support of prisoners, ex-prisoners and their families.

Fight at Mobile Church

Police in Mobile, Alabama say a pastor was tasered by his former minister of music. Daryl Riley of New Welcome Baptist Church fired Simone Moore and in a dispute over the amount of Moore's final check, Moore alledgedly tased Riley. Several church members, including Moore's own mother got involved. Officers say she was stabbed by a church deacon Harvey Hunt.

Getting to Know.. TBN

Trinity Broadcasting Network..
• Programming on over 6,000 stations in 75 countries
• Audience of 5 million houses each week in the US
• Programs are dubbed in 11 different languages
• 3 spinoff channels:Enlace USA a Spanish-language, channel JC-TV offers youth-oriented Christian programs, The Church Channel broadcasts church services
• Headquarters: Costa Mesa, California (a similar complex is located in Texas)
• Owns Trinity Music City USA, near Nashville (paid more than $13 million to acquire)
• TV Stations: 23 full-powered, 252 low-powered
• Yearly Revenue: $170 million (surpluses averagedabout $60 million a year since 1997)
• 400 employees
• The board of directors: Paul & Jan Crouch, & Ruth Brown (Paul's sister)
• Pastors on the network can solicit donations only during the last 30 seconds of a half-hour show or the last 60 seconds of a one-hour show

Paul Crouch..
• 77 years old
• Salary: over $400,000
• Parents: Pentecostal missionaries
• Homestate: Missouri• Bible College: Central Bible Institute(Springfield, Missouri)
• Former Employer: Assemblies of God in Springfield, Missouri
• Duties: Overseeing a Film Library

Jan Crouch..
• 73 years old
• Maiden name: Bethany
• Father: Assemblies of God pastor
• Salary: more than $360,000 Perks..
• The Crouches use TBN's $7 million Turbo jet to fly around the world
• The Crouches use 2 mansions in Newport Beach & about 30 other ministry-owned houses

Family..
• Paul Crouch, Jr (their oldest son) makes about $91,000 as TBN's administrative VP
• Matthew Couch (son) has gotten more than $30 million to make movies like The Omega Code

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

The Rapture Profiteers

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

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.

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.

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)

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.

NASCAR Prayer is now a song

You may have heard of the pastor whose unusual prayer at a NASCAR event has garnered national attention. Joe Nelms, pastor at Family Baptist Church in Lebanon, Tennessee, thanked got for his "smokin' hot wife" and ended his prayer with "Boogity, boogity, boogity. Amen." Now, the Gregory Brothers ("schmoyoho" on YouTube and best known for creating the Bed Intruder Song) has posted a song using Nelms's prayer using Auto-Tune.

Link Complaint

An atheist group is asking the state of Wisconsin to remove a link from its website to an anti-abortion group. Care Net is a faith-based ministry helping pregnant women. The Madison-based Freedom From Religion Foundation says a state link to Care Net is a state endorsement of religion, despite a disclaimer to the contrary on the site. The state Department of Administration is reviewing the complaint.

Evangelical women rise as new ‘feminists’

The Washington Post looks at the "rise of Evangelical feminists" here.

Atheists Lawsuit over Ground Zero Cross

Church of "Swing" Sued

Dallas authorities allege a minister is operating clubs as churches. The pastor claims his religious rights are being violated. WFAA-TV has this video report.

Schuller Gets Vote Back

After getting criticized for the move, the board of the Crystal Cathedral has given founder Robert H. Schuller his voting rights back. The California megachurch is going through bankruptcy and announced there will be five new members added to the board.

Comstock Canceled

Nebraska's Comstock Music Festival (including Christian Fest) will not take place this year. Organizers blame financial trouble. The festival typically takes place each August and leaders hope to put on another one next year. Ticket holders can get a refund or tickets to the 2012 event.

Stott Dies

John Stott died in London today at the age of 90. The theologian's health had deteriorated recently. He was a primary architect of the 1974 Lausanne Covenant, which included a declaration of Evangelical beliefs. Read widely in Britain and the US, Stott never married and turned his royalties for books like Basic Christianity into scholarships for students, especially those from developing countries. He was ordained by the Church of England in 1945, serving as rector of All Souls Langham Place.

Reaction to "Smokin' Hot Wife" Prayer

The New NIV Bible

Zondervan says its new edition of the New International Version Bible are on the upswing. The publisher says it has no plans to reprint the old version, despite the fact that some pastors prefer it to the new one. The Southern Baptist Convention has asked its own bookstore chain, LifeWay, not to carry the new version. Southern Baptist leaders object to its gender neutral language. LifeWay is considering the request.

Dan Peek Dies

Founding member of the '70s band America, Dan Peek, died over the weekend at the age of 60. His wife found him in their house in Farmington, Missouri, not far from St. Louis. Peek had three platinum albums and three gold albums with band mates Gerry Beckley and Dewey Bunnell. They also had eight Top 40 hits including A Horse With No Name, Lonely People and Don't Cross the River. Peek left the group in 1977 because of his Christian faith, launching a career in Contemporary Christian Music. He was nominated for a Grammy for the song All Things Are Possible which topped the Christian charts in 1979. He wrote a memoir titled An American Band: The America Story.

Corporate Giving

Look for charitable giving by America's biggest companies to fall flat this year. That's the finding of a survey by The Chronicle of Philanthropy. Giving rose 13% last year, after a 7.5% decline in 2009. Wal-Mart gave the most of any company in the survey: $319.5 million.

9/11 Cross Lawsuit

The group American Atheists wants to stop the display of a Cross at the 9/11 Memorial and Museum. The organization has filed a lawsuit in New York to prevent the steel beams found in the rubble of the Twin Towers from being shown at its new home. It was moved to the museum this past weekend. Both New Jersey and New York City, along with New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie are named in the suit.

God Is in the Basement of the Empire State Building

New York Magazine looks at the Christian college located in the basement of the Empire State building here.

American Becomes Foster Mom To 13 Girls

A former Tennessee homecoming queen, now 22 years old, has moved to Uganda and adopted 13 children because of her Christian faith. Listen to NPR's report on her story and why some people object to what she has done, here.

Harry Potter and Religion

CNN takes a look at Harry Potter and religion in this video.

Faith Popular on Facebook

A website that tracks Facebook traffic says six of the top 20 most engaging Facebook pages are related to faith. Allfacebook reports that even the new Harry Potter movie was topped by Facebook pages Jesus Daily and The Bible. The Bible was started by an Australian pastor who started by just posting daily Scripture readings. You'll also find televangelist Joyce Meyer in the top 20.

World Trade Center Cross

It was found in the ruins of the World Trade Center after the 9/11 attacks. The 2-ton steel beam shaped like a cross was moved close to the oldest Roman Catholic parish in New York City and that's where it has stayed - until now. The cross has been moved into the exhibition area of the museum located at ground zero. Here's how Fox News reported the event:

Lutheran Shake Up

A rift in the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod over gays shakes up a multibillion-dollar social service network. Read the Associated Press story here.

Preacher's Son Shot to Death

The son of the president of the South Carolina Baptist Convention was found shot to death in Charleston, South Carolina. Brian Eliot Holmes died from a single gunshot wound after crashing the car he was driving. His father, Sonny Holmes, is pastor of North Charleston's Northwood Baptist Church and serves as president of the state's Baptist Convention, which includes some 1800 congregations.

Ministry Changes Name

Campus Crusade for Christ is changing its name. The Evangelistic ministry will be known in the future as Cru. Although the Orlando-based organization has kept Campus Crusade for Christ for more than half a century, the group wanted to get away from using "crusade" in its name because of the word's associations. Cru is a shorthand way of referring to Crusade that started more than a decade ago among CCC workers. Bill and Vonette Bright started the group in 1951 on the campus of UCLA. There are now some 25,000 full-time staffers around the world. Vonette Bright says her late husband would have approved of the name change.

Salvation Boulevard

The Cleveland, Tennessee-based Church of God is suing Sony for its Pierce Brosnan film Salvation Boulevard. The denomination says the film's uses a cross design that looks suspiciously like the one used by the Church of God. Rotton Tomatoes "tomatometer" gives the comedy a sad 8% out of 100 and says the film about a megachurch has barely brought in $7000 so far. NPR's movie reviewer writes, "Without the humor, the stereotypes that define these characters aren't satirical; they're just mean-spirited and dull."

Bachmann Now Baptist?

Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann may have switched from Lutheran to Baptist. Several news outlets are quoting sources that say the Minnesota congresswoman is moving from Salem Lutheran Church to Eagle Brook Church, which is associated with the Baptist General Conference. Her Lutheran home has been accused of being anti-Catholic, although the church denies it.

GOP Candidates & Evangelicals

Below is a short Fox News discussion about Mitt Romney and Rick Perry's relationship to the Evangelical community.

Rick Perry on "Calling"

The Governor of Texas is backing away from his comment last week that he's "getting more and more comfortable every day that this is what I've been called to do." Rick Perry told reporters today there are many ways to be "called" and he looks for "good scripture that tells me how to live my life." Perry hasn't officially declared his candidacy for the presidency.

Facebook Mockery Backlash

Exodus International is asking Seattle megachurch pastor Mark Driscoll to apologize for a Facebook comment he made that has caused an uproar in Christian social media circles. Driscoll asked, “So, what story do you have about the most effeminate anatomically male worship leader you’ve ever personally witnessed?” The comment was later removed, but Exodus says it encourages people to believe Christians are homophobic. A letter campaign asked elders at Driscoll's Mars Hill Church to reign him in. Although he didn't apologize, Driscoll posted a later comment that said in part “...a sincere thanks to all my critics who sometimes have good wisdom that helps me out.”

Petition Against Megachurch Leaders by Members

Senior members of the Crystal Cathedral have started an online petition against the megachurch's current leadership provided by the daughters of founder Robert Schuller. It proclaims to the congregation "It is time to rise up and take our church back!” The organizers are calling for a church board independent of the Schullers. The Southern California church filed for bankruptcy last year, leading the layoff of nearly 150 employees.

Pirate Station Interfering with Christian Radio in NY

The Educational Media Foundation - better known as the K-Love Contemporary Christian Music network has complained to the FCC about a pirate radio station interfering with its signal in New York. WKLV was purchased the former WCTZ from Cox Broadcasting for $15.5 million. The station is licensed to Port Chester, New York at 96.7. The pirate station is located in New Jersey and even has a Facebook page dedicated to it. It refers to the pirate station as “New Jersey’s #1 hottest Jamaican radio show on 96.7 FM.”

Radio Network Sale

An Ohio University is selling its radio network to California's Educational Media Foundation. The deal still needs FCC approval, but the 13 frequencies will switch from Cedarville University's Bible teaching format to the EMF's Contemporary Christian music format branded as K-Love.

Bachmann and Catholicism

Michele Bachmann's former church has come under fire for its belief that the papacy is the AntiChrist. The Republican presidential hopeful quit the Lutheran denomination last month, while reports continue to question whether she is anti-Catholic, despite her denials. She was a member at Salem Lutheran Church in Stillwater, Minnesota for more than a decade, but had not attended for more than two years. The church is part of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod which has 1300 congregations and about 400,000 members. During a debate a few years ago, she said, “It’s abhorrent, it’s religious bigotry. I love Catholics, I’m a Christian, and my church does not believe that the pope is the anti-Christ, that’s absolutely false. The Catholic League issued a statement saying it does not believe Bachmann is anti-Catholic, but asking her questions about the subject is entirely appropriate.

Getting to Know.. J.K. Rowling

Although brought up in a nonreligious home, in her youth, the author of the Harry Potter books would go to church by herself. J.K. Rowling still regularly attends services and her children have all been christened. Her Potter books do not mention of God or Scripture except in the last one. Harry discovers on his parents' graves a Bible verse that, Rowling says, is the theme for the entire series. It's a passage from I Corinthians in which Paul discusses Jesus' resurrection: "The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death."

The Response

The Freedom from Religion Foundation has filed a lawsuit to stop Governor Rick Perry's day of prayer and fasting. The group of atheists and agnostics say it would violate the constitutional ban on the government endorsing a religion. The August 6th event is called The Response and will take place at Houston's Reliant Stadium.

NBC "Pledge" Apology - Again

NBC has issued a formal apology to Congress for editing out "under God" from its broadcast of the U.S. Open golf championship. The network's presidents says the people involved have been "reprimanded" and "the mistake will not be repeated." A letter signed by 108 members of Congress to the network complained about the omission even after NBC issued an on-air apology.

Former Bible Student Heading to Prison

A former Moody Bible Institute student is now a convicted sex offender. Aaron Dodds pleaded guilty pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated child pornography and may spend up to four years in prison. He took his computer to the Chicago school’s IT department revealed for repair where a technician found more than 500 images of child pornography.

New Kentucky Tags

An anti-pornography group in Kentucky has gotten the go ahead to raise funds through the sale of state license plates that say "In God We Trust." It took more than three years of legal maneuvering to get the effort approved by ROCK Cares, whose name will appear on the plates. The only stipulation is that at least 900 applications for the tags must be made before they go into production. A plate without the ministry's name became available in January with more than 70,000 sold.

Prez Candidate Family Under Fire

Michele Bachmann's husband, who runs a Christian counseling clinic, is coming under fire from former clients and a group that went undercover at the clinic for the clinic's therapy related to homosexuality. Here is a video report from ABC News.

Hollywood's First-ever Atheist Hero

The Philistines

Archaeologist in southern Israel are piecing together the history of the people known in the Bible as the Philistines. A report from Associated Press is here.

Evangelicals, Republicans and the Civil War

A New York Times article takes a look at the influence of Evangelicals in the foundations of the Republican Party and the Civil War. Read about it here.

School Prayer Dispute Settled

A Florida school district has hashed out an agreement over prayer and the use of religious phrases in schools. The Santa Rosa School District school board voted unanimously to approve the agreement between the district, the ACLU and Liberty Counsel. The school district has dropped its ban on teacher-led prayer and religious activities within the district. Criminal indictments had been filed against school employees. The issue came to the public view when the ACLU filed a complaint against the district, saying it was illegally sponsoring prayer and proselytizing at school events. The Liberty Counsel is holding a victory rally at Pace Assembly Ministries today.

SCOTUS to Consider Church School Case

This fall, the Supreme Court will hear arguments as to whether an elementary school operated by a Michigan unfairly fired a teacher attempting to return to work after a disability leave related to narcolepsy. The Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical Lutheran Church where the woman worked is a part of the Missouri Synod Lutheran church. U.S. courts have generally held that federal employment discrimination statutes do not apply to church employees performing religious functions. The question is whether this applies not simply to religious leaders, but also to teachers at a religious elementary school.

Megachurch Responds to Stories about Founder

The Crystal Cathedral says it's not true. A spokesman for the megachurch says Robert H. Schuller was not voted off the board of the ministry, even though Schuller's son has said that he was voted off. Robert Anthony Schuller had said his 84-year-old father was booted off after proposing putting adding more seats to the board. But the spokesman says Schuller is now board chairman emeritus. However, the church spokesman admitted that Schuller lost his vote and now has only a non-voting position.

Schuller Out

The Crystal Cathedral board of directors have voted founder Robert Schuller off the board. Because of bankruptcy brought on by massive debts, the Southern California megachurch is in the process of selling its famous glass-spired sanctuary.

The Valedictorian and the Constitution

AG Jump in Membership

The Assemblies of God says it gained 4% in membership in the last reported year - the biggest jump since 1983. The denomination claims 3,030,944 members in 2010. Church officials report more than 63 million Assemblies of God followers worldwide in 2009.

VA Lawsuit

The VA is releasing new cemetery guidelines after complaints by local veterans and volunteer groups that there's a ban on religious speech at VA National Cemeteries. The Department of Veterans Affairs says invoking the name of God or Jesus is allowed and common. But a federal civil suit fined by the Liberty Institute against the VA claims the opposite. In one instance, the suit describes how a cemetery director told volunteers they had to stop telling families "God bless you" at funerals and ordered them to remove the words "God bless" from condolence cards. Several members of congress have expressed their concerns over the matter.

Software Attempts to Identify Biblical Writers

A new computer program is being used by software programmers in Israel to look for patterns in the Biblical record. Researchers from Bar Ilan University near Tel Aviv and Hebrew University in Jerusalem say the analysis of style and word choices matched with the traditional academic division of two authors for the Pentateuch. The findings were presented at the Association for Computational Linguistics meeting in Portland.

Billboard Comes Down

A billboard on church property in Ohio proclaiming, "I can be good without God" is down. The sign, paid for by the Freedom From Religion Foundation was placed on land owned by Christ Cathedral Church. The ad agency said the placement was just a mistake.

Bishop Leaving

A bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is leaving to become interim pastor at the largest ELCA congregation in the U.S. Bishop Craig Johnson leads the Minneapolis-area ELCA, but is resigning to become interim pastor of Mount Olivet Lutheran Church in South Minneapolis.

Bachman the Evangelical Feminist?

Is Michele Bachman an Evangelical feminist? CNN offers an article addressing the question. Read the story here.