Baptists oppose gender reassignment

The Southern Baptists Convention has come out against gender reassignment--both surgery and hormone therapies. At the denomination's annual meeting, messengers adopted a statement affirming the creation of "two distinct and complementary sexes" and "God's good design that gender identity is determined by biological sex and not by one's self-perception which is often influenced by fallen human nature in ways contrary to God’s design." The resolution also condemned “acts of abuse or bullying committed against" what it called “image-bearers of Almighty God.” Read the entire resolution here.

Baptists Pick new President

The Southern Baptist Convention elected Ronnie Floyd of Arkansas' Cross Church as president while meeting in Baltimore. Floyd has chaired the Executive Committee and served on the denomination's Program and Structure Task Force member. Floyd takes over for New Orleans pastor Fred Luter, Jr. Second place went to Dennis Kim of Global Mission Church in Silver Spring, Maryland, followed by Jared Moore of New Salem Baptist Church in Kentucky. Clint Pressley of Hickory Grove Baptist Church in Charlotte, North Carolina was picked first vice president.

Bieber Reportedly Baptized

Justin Bieber was baptized just a few days ago in a Manhattan bathtub, according to TMZ. Following criticism of some racists comments he made several years ago (which we told you about last week here) Bieber posted some Bible verses on Instagram. Now, there are reports of his baptism by Hillsong Pastor Carl Lentz.

Journey from the Brady Bunch to Faith

Many fans did not know that Ann B. Davis, who played the wisecracking housekeeper on "The Brady Bunch" by the name of Alice, became a Christian.

"It was hard for outsiders to grasp the spiritual changes that caused this tough-willed and very private woman to put her career on the back burner and, in 1976, join a commune of evangelical Episcopalians led by Colorado Bishop William C. Frey and his wife, Barbara. She stayed with the household as it moved to an Anglican seminary in western Pennsylvania steel country and, finally, to the outskirts of San Antonio, Texas, where she died June 1 at age 88.

Read more about her journey here.

N Korea Holds American

North Korea says it is detaining a U.S. citizen who it says entered the secretive country as a tourist in April and broke the law. What did the man do? He allegedly left a Bible in a hotel where he had been staying. More from CNN.

What Americans think of the Bible

The number of Americans who say the Bible as "the actual word of God, to be taken literally, word for word," is falling. A new Gallup poll puts the percentage at 28%. It was at 30% two years ago. In the 1970s the figure was closer to 37%. However, three-fourths of Americans still say the Bible is "in some way connected to God." Read more here.

Justin Bieber's Bible verse post

Justin Bieber is apologizing for racist comments he made in two videos--recorded five years ago. The videos were recently made public. Bieber blames his young age and posted a picture of a book showing several Bible verses related to forgiveness. The Instagram image has more than half-of-a-million likes. The verses include:

• John chapter 8 verse 12: "Whoever follows me [Jesus] will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."
• Isaiah 61:10: "For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness." 
• 1 John 1:7: "But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin."

Southern Baptist Church switches view on Homosexuality

The New Heart Community Church voted to change its official stance on homosexuality after the pastor's son "came out" as gay. The Southern Baptist church in La Mirada, California also voted to keep Danny Cortez as pastor, who said he would support his son. The congregation considers itself a 'Third Way' church. You can read more at the Huffington Post here.

Missionary sentenced to life

North Korea says missionary Kim Jung-wook must serve a life sentence of hard labor for "allegedly spying and trying to set up underground churches." The Associated Press reports on the South Korean's situation here.

Baptists Losing Members

Membership in the Southern Baptist church is still falling--seven years straight. LifeWay Christian Resources says there are now 15.7 million members, down .2 million from the previous year. Weekly church attendance also fell--more than 2 percent, putting the weekly average at 5.8 million. The number of baptisms is down as well--more than 300,000. The consistently falling membership is sure to be a topic at the denomination's annual convention, which gets underway week from Tuesday in Baltimore.

Bible College president arrested on labor charges

The president of Cathedral Bible College in Marion, South Carolina was arrested this week. Reginald Wayne Miller is accused of making international students perform forced labor on threats of deportation. WSPA-TV has this video report.

WSPA.com

Redford as Roberts?

Robert Redford may play the late Oral Roberts in a new film. Come Sunday will tell the story of of Oklahoma evangelist Carlton Pearson who falls out of favor with the evangelical community when he stops preached there is a hell. Roberts was Pearson's mentor. Read more at the Hollywood Reporter.

Godinterest

A new Christian social network is looking to compete with photo-shairing platform Pinterest. Godinterest is intended to be a "safe family friendly Christian alternative... organizing ideas including Church events, travel planning, inspirational quotes, home decorating ideas, meal planning and advice, wedding or event planning, activities for children.." You can check the bookmarking site for yourself here.

Middle East’s Christian population in flux

Despite tremendous growth over the past century, the Christian share of the overall population in the Middle East decreased from 10% in 1900 to 5% in 2010. Find out why here.

Liberty University responds to complaints about Glenn Beck

Glenn Beck created a stir last month when he preached a sermon threaded with Mormon theology at the evangelical Liberty University, according to Religious News Service. Read more here.

Muslim at Baptist Seminary

A Baptist seminary has its first Muslim student. Ghassan Nagagreh is part of the doctoral program of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Texas. The Religious News Service has an article about what's become a controversial topic here.

Latinos moving away from the Catholic church

Fewer Latinos call themselves Catholic than did just three years ago. A Pew Research poll found 55 percent call themselves Roman Catholic--down from 67% in 2011. The numbers are even higher when looking at just 18-29 year olds. Many are becoming Pentecostals, leading Catholic churches to move toward livelier services. Read more about the survey here.

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.

Singer in Christian Metal Band Gets 6 Years

A San Diego judge sentenced Tim Lambesis of the Christian metal band As I Lay Dying to serve six years in prison after he was convicted of trying to kill his wife, Meggan Lambesis. Tim Lambesis plead guilty earlier this year--and he returns to court soon to face a $2 million lawsuit filed by his wife. Read more details from San Diego's KGTV here and from the local newspaper, UT San Diego here.

Bill Gothard resigns

Conservative Christian leader Bill Gothard is being accused of making unwanted sexual advances--by more than two dozen women including some underage teenagers. He resigned from the Institute in Basic Life Principles after denying the allegations. In a statement he said that when he touched women, it was never with sexual intent. He spent more than half a century leading the Institute, which has produced materials for home-schoolers. A group called Recovering Grace published the allegations against Gothard online here. Gothard is 79 years old, has never been married and not been charged with a crime. His brother, Steve Gothard, resigned from the organization in the 1980s after being accused of having affairs with several employees.

Can Christians make funny movies?

A new movie genre debuts at the box office this weekend: the Christian comedy, writes Eric Marrapodi at CNN.com. "Moms’ Night Out" starring Patricia Heaton and Sean Astin is opening on more than 1,000 screens, and it aims to do something no other Christian major motion picture has endeavored to do: make you laugh. On purpose. Read more here.

Ben-Hur remake

Paramount/MGM is remaking the 1959 classic Ben-Hur. It is scheduled to debut in February of 2016. The studio is enlisting the help of the makers of the recent miniseries The Bible and the Son of God.

Boy's love of gospel music may have saved his life

A young boy's love of gospel music may have saved his life. WXIA-TV has the story in this video report.

Christian golfer rejoices after second Masters win

Golf champion and professed Christian Bubba Watson is praising God after winning his second Masters jacket in three years. Read more at Christianity Today.

State of the Bible

As many Americans say they are skeptical about the Bible as those who say they are engaged with it. That's the finding of a survey by the Barna Group. The number of skeptics among adult Americans has grown by 10 percent in just the last three years. While nearly 9 out of 10 Americans have a Bible in their home, only about about a third read it on a regular basis. Read more here.

Does Religious behavior match what people do?

A new study explores why people exaggerate their religious behavior. Hear the story from NPR below.

Pastor Resigns

A Florida megachurch pastor stepped down from the pulpit today. Bob Coy of Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale confessed to a "moral failure" to his congregation of about 20,000 people. He resigned Thursday after talking to the church board about it the day before.

TV Preachers Avoid Tax Scrutiny

NPR takes a look at how some prosperity TV preachers like Kenneth Copeland are doing after a congressional investigation into their fundraising fizzled. You can listen or read the report here.

Scientists: Noah's Ark would have floated

Researchers at the University of Leicester in England say Noah's Ark could have carried 70,000 animals without sinking. They based their conclusion on the dimensions listed in The Bible. The considered the weight of the animals, not whether they would have had enough space or not. The graduate students are studying in the school's Department of Physics and Astronomy.

Atlanta Archbishop gets mansion

Catholics in Georgia are upset that the Archdiocese of Atlanta spent roughly $2 million of church money on a new mansion for the archbishop. WGLC-TV has this video report.

CBS46 News

Noah opens big

Paramount's Noah movie did well on its opening weekend in the US--as well as in places like Russia and Australia. Paramount says the US domestic take is going to come in around $44 million. The film has already earned more than $50 million overseas.

Paisley, Gilbert & N. Grant get hoaxed

Actress Melissa Gilbert, country music star Brad Paisley, and Christian singer Natalie Grant are victims of dying daughter hoax. Here's a video report from ABC News.


ABC US News | ABC Business News

Christian College Prof says discovery supports believe in God

Leslie Wickman, director of the Center for Research in Science at Azusa Pacific University, writes in an Op/Ed piece for CNN, "The remarkable discovery, announced this week, of ripples in the space-time fabric of the universe rocked the world of science – and the world of religion. Touted as evidence for inflation (a faster-than-the-speed-of-light expansion of our universe), the new discovery of traces of gravity waves affirms scientific concepts in the fields of cosmology, general relativity, and particle physics. The new discovery also has significant implications for the Judeo-Christian worldview, offering strong support for biblical beliefs." Read more here.

World Vision flip flop hits bottom line

World Vision back out of plans to start hiring legally married gays after more than 3000 sponsors pulled out their support for the relief group. Among those protesting World Vision's initial decision: The Southern Baptist Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, Franklin Graham and the Family Leadership Council led by Tony Perkin. Based in Seattle, World Vision has more than 1000 employees. Some of the denominations World Vision represents have decided to perform same-sex marriage ceremonies.

Emma Watson talks religion

Even though Emma Watson is a star in the Biblical epic Noah, she doesn't have Christian views. She tells The Telegraph , "I already, before I did the movie, had a sense that I was someone that was more spiritual, than specifically religious. I had a sense that I believed in a higher power, but that I was more of a Universalist, I see that there are these unifying tenets between so many religions."

Pastor says he accidentally flooded Texas by praying too hard

An Oklahoma pastor this week said that his attempt to remove demons from the United States had worked a little too well, causing a severe drought to turn into massive flooding. Read more here or watch the video below.

Theives take $600k from Megachurch

Houston's Lakewood megachurch says about $200,000 in cash and $400,000 worth of checks is missing. KPRC-TV has a video report.

Fake arrests of pastors

A video of three Ohio pastors being arrested at their churches during Sunday services for preaching the gospel has caused a stir in Akron. The law enforcement officers are real, but the videos are faked. They are part of a production coming up at the Akron Civic Theater called Defending the Faith. Summit County Sheriff Steve Barry issued a press release explaining the arrest were just a promotional effort.

Scientists who say they are Christians

A new survey finds 2 million out of nearly 12 million scientists are evangelical Christians. According to Christianity Today, "The survey also found that evangelical scientists are more active in their faith than American evangelicals in general. They are more likely to consider themselves very religious, to attend religious services weekly, and to read religious texts at least every week." Read more at here.

'Sports Chaplains' Bring The Gospel To Olympic Village

There are probably fewer American fans in Sochi than at previous Winter Games, partly because of concerns about security, and partly because of the time and expense it takes to get to the Russian resort town on the Black Sea. But Americans are represented there, with gusto, by a group of evangelical Christians who call themselves the International Sports Chaplains. Members of the group have been going to the Olympic Games since 1988.

Read or listen to the full story at NPR.

Divorce and the nonreligious

Evangelical Christians have higher than average divorce rates than people who say they aren't religious at all. That's according Baylor University research. The researchers also say the percentage of Americans with no religious affiliation has risen from 3 to 30 percent in the last 50 years. Read more here.

Hollywood films a testament to renewed interest in Bible stories

Hollywood appears to be banking on moviegoers’ interest in faith and God as it prepares to roll out two big-budget films based on biblical tales. Producer-director-screenwriter Darren Aronofsky’s 3-D opus “Noah,” starring Oscar winners Russell Crowe as Noah and Anthony Hopkins as his grandfather Methuselah, is due to be released in March. “Exodus,” directed by Ridley Scott and starring Christian Bale as Moses, is scheduled to be released in December. Read more at the Washington Times.

Singer Skips Grammys

Mandisa won two Grammy Awards for her Christian music, but she wasn't at the awards show Sunday night to pick up here awards. Find out why in a Daily Caller post here.

The Most Bible-minded American Cities

The American Bible Society has come out with its list of the most "Bible-minded" American cities. Chattanooga takes over the top spot this year from Knoxville, which held it in 2012. Other Southern cities follow while East coast towns populate the bottom. The only large American city in the top 10 is Charlotte, North Carolina.

1. Chattanooga
2. Birmingham, Al.
3. Roanoke/Lynchburg, Va.
4. Springfield, Mo.
5. Shreveport, La.

Academy Award nomination for Christian singer

Christian author and singer Joni Eareckson Tada is up for an Oscar. She sings the title song from the film Alone Yet Not Alone. The song is up for Best Original Song. Written by Bruce Broughton and Dennis Spiegel, it beat out songs from Jay Z, Taylor Swift and Coldplay, among others. Alone Yet Not Alone is the only song that doesn't come from an animated movie. It's up against Karen O's The Moon Song from Her, Pharrell Williams' Happy from Despicable Me 2, U2's Ordinary Love from Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom" and Let it Go from Frozen. Here's a video of Tada, who is a paraplegic, singing the song. The movie opens nationwide in March.

TV show about a Texas megachurch

NBC has ordered a pilot episode of a show about a Texas megachurch. The working title is Salvation. The lead character's husband dies under mysterious circumstances. Read more about it at Deadline.

Chartig new evangelical waters in documentary films

The Denver Post takes a look at efforts by Colorado Springs-based Focus on the Family to move into documentary film, particularly it's nationwide effort to push Irreplaceable in theaters this summer. The paper quotes the head of Focus on the Family as saying, "Culture is led by entertainment. We're awakening to the fact we have to do more in this (area). Just getting in the public policy arena and slugging it out — we're not not doing it very well." Read more here.

The declining membership numbers of the Protestant church

The dramatic decline in confidence in organized religion is unmistakable. According to the General Social Surveys of the National Opinion Research Center, the percentage of Americans who have a great deal of confidence in organized religion declined dramatically from 2000 to 2010—and the decline was nearly the same for evangelicals as for oldliners. Surprisingly, the biggest decline among any age group within these families is among older evangelicals. Among that group, the number expressing confidence in organized religion fell from 42 percent to 26. Indeed, this was the largest decline for any family or age group except among younger black Protestants—another ominous sign for an established segment of American religion. Read more at the Christian Century here.

Baptist churches bet on college footbal

Two churches made a bet on the outcome of the BCS National Championship game. The First Baptist Church of Auburn and First Baptist Church of Tallahassee agreed to travel to the other's city if the opposing team won the game. Since Florida State beat Auburn, a group from the Auburn church will travel to Tallahassee for a summer mission trip.

Atheist church schism

A non-religious gathering started last year in London already has a breakaway group forming. Read more at CNN.

One year without God

California pastor Ryan Bell has lost his teaching positions and a consulting job after announcing he would live the year as an atheist. “I am not sure what I am. That’s part of what this year is about,” he told the Huffington Post. Read the full story at Charisma Magazine.

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.

Ala. pastor charged with murder, arrested trying to flee country

Richard Shahan tried to get on a flight to Germany but was stopped--and now faces charges he shot and killed his wife. He resigned from the First Baptist Church of Birmingham on Tuesday. WVTM-TV has a video report.

WVTM-TV: News, Weather, and Sports for Birmingham, AL

Atheism’s 10 defining moments

Atheism found its way into the headlines several times this year. One of the writers for Religious News Service has put together a list of 10 of "atheism’s defining moments and trends from the last year." This includes congregations of nonbelievers meeting, atheists becoming more visible in the U.S. military and the rise of "compassionate atheism." Read more from Religious News Service.

Mennonites to license first openly gay pastor

from First Mennonite Church of Denver

Mountain States will be the first Mennonite Church USA conference in to license an openly gay pastor. Theda Good will serve at the First Mennonite Church of Denver. She's been on staff for more than a year. Good earned a master of divinity degree from Virginia's Eastern Mennonite Seminary. Read more details in the Mennonite World Review.

Katy Perry says she's left her childhood faith

Katy Perry says she is no longer a Christian. The pop star told Marie Claire Magazine she no longer believes in Heaven or Hell either--just a "higher power bigger than me because that keeps me accountable... I’m not Buddhist, I’m not Hindu, I’m not Christian, but I still feel like I have a deep connection with God." Perry's parents are evangelists and she started out as a Christian singer.

Don’t like hearing Merry Christmas? Here’s some advice for you…

Texas megachurch Pastor John Hagee advises atheists who don’t like Christmas to “leave the country” or “take your Walkman and stuff it into your ears.” Here's what he had to say this past Sunday to his congregation.

Belief in the Virgin Birth among Americans

More than two-out-of-three Americans (73%) say they believe Jesus was born of a virgin. That's the finding of a Pew Research survey. A third of those with no religious affiliation (32%) say they believe in the virgin birth as well. There's a split though among the young and those that are older. Two-thirds of adults under age 30 say they believe Jesus was born of a virgin, compared with three-quarters (76%) of those age 30 and older. Read more at the Pew Research Center.

Megachurch pastor passes

Megachurch pastor Ken Hutcherson has died at the age of 61 after a long battle with cancer. Hutcherson led the Antioch Bible Church in Kirkland, Washington. The church has posted this message:

“Antioch Bible Church sadly announces that shortly before noon today our Senior Pastor Dr. Ken Hutcherson was ushered in the [presence] of the Lord. Please pray for comfort and peace for the family. The family asked that you give them some privacy at this time.”

2013 report on Megachurches

There are megachurches in 48 countries with 1,650 residing in the U.S. That's according to new research published on Church Executive. The denominations with the most megachurches: Southern Baptists, United Methodists, Evangelical Lutherans. Read more details on megachurches here.

Prophecy Preacher dies

Harold Camping has died. The end times preacher who made a splash in 2011 for predicting Judgment Day would take place in May of that year was 92 years old. He changed his date from May 21 to Oct 21 when he was proven wrong. Camping did the same thing in 1994. Camping fell at his home last month and never recovered from his injuries. Camping helped to found Family Radio, a Christian radio network based in Oakland, which was severely hurt financially by Camping's mistaken proclamations.

Part of polygamy law struck down

The stars of the TV show Sister Wives has won a lawsuit against the part of Utah's law banning polygamy. Read more at CNN here.

Man of the Year: Pope Francis

TIME magazine has selected Pope Francis as its man of the year, saying "What makes this Pope so important is the speed with which he has captured the imaginations of millions who had given up on hoping for the church at all... Francis has elevated the healing mission of the church—the church as servant and comforter of hurting people in an often harsh world.. Francis is a former janitor, nightclub bouncer, chemical technician and literature teacher." Read more here or watch TIME's video below.

Megachurch pastor's son: Apparent suicide

A former Florida megachurch pastor was found dead inside his apartment yesterday, according to numerous media reports. Isaac Hunter was pastor of Summit Church in Orlando, and the son of Joel Hunter, who pastors Northland church in Orlando. WESH-TV is reporting that church insiders says it was an apparent suicide. Hunter resigned from his own megachurch after he admitting to an affair. The Orlando Sentinel reports that his wife of 13 years had filed a domestic-violence petition against him saying he abused drugs and alcohol, and calling Hunter unstable. Read more in from WESH-TV here here and the Orlando Sentinel here.

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.

Underwood tweets Bible verse in response to critics

In response to criticism over her performance in Sound of Music Live!, Carrie Underwood tweeted, "Plain and simple: Mean people need Jesus. They will be in my prayers tonight...1 Peter 2:1-25." Read more here.

Evangelical Numbers are now Falling

Catholics and evangelical Protestants have joined oldline Protestants in declining numbers. The Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches also shows the Pentecostal/holiness stream has slowed from the 1980s from 4 percent to barely more than one percent now. Read more details from the Christian Century here.

Airport chaplains

Many (airports) have chapels and are staffed by 350 chaplains worldwide. Read more from Associated Press here.

Paul Crouch Dies

Televangelist Paul Crouch died at his Southern California today at the age of 79, according to his ministry's website. Crouch built TBN, the Trinity Broadcasting Network, which claims to be the largest religious TV network in the world. Crouch and his wife, Jan, founded TBN in 1973. It has grown into 84 satellite channels and some18,000 affiliates. The ministry has had its share of detractors over finances and theology. A challenge came from within the Crouch family last year-- when their   granddaughter sued (along with others) accusing TBN of $50 million in financial improprieties. There is more on the accusations here and more on TBN here. Because of Crouch's health problems, particularly heart issues, his son Matthew has dealt with the day-to-day operations of TBN recently.

Reagan: "Not afraid of burning in hell"

Ronald Reagan's son is supporting atheism in a new radio advertisement. The ad for the Freedom From Religion Foundation features Ron Reagan saying, "I an unabashed atheist, and I’m alarmed by the intrusions of religion into our secular government...Ron Reagan, lifelong atheist, not afraid of burning in hell."

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.

Supreme Court takes up contraceptive mandate

Can a Christian business opt out of Obamacare's contraceptive mandate? A FoxNews panel takes a look at the battle between religious liberty and women's rights.

Changes to Music Charts

Billboard is updating its Christian and gospel song charts. Digital and streaming information, will be added, according to the Sacramento Bee. Read the full story here.

Online essay claimed Jews deserve wrath for Jesus death

The Boston Globe reports that a "Christian journal run by Harvard College undergraduates published an essay on its blog by an anonymous Jewish convert to Christianity who said that Jews killed Jesus and therefore deserve God’s wrath." Read the full story here.

CCM mag launches Kickstarter

CCM (Contemporary Christian Music) moved from print to digital subscriptions but is hoping to resurrect its print version. Salem Communications, which owns the magazine, has started a Kickstarter campaign with the goal of raising $40,000. Read more here.

Methodist Pastor found Guilty

A church jury found Pennsylvania pastor Frank Schaefer guilty of breaking church law. Schaefer officiated at his son's same-sex marriage. Read about the decision here.

School Cancels Christmas Toy Drive Under Legal Pressure

A South Carolina school has stopped its annual Christmas toy drive threats of a lawsuit. WLTX-TV has a video report, which is posted below.

Noah comes to the big screen

Russell Crowe and Anthony Hopkins are in the new movie from Paramount about Noah. Crowe has the title role while Hopkins was cast as Noah’s grandfather, Methuselah. Darren Aronofsky's big budget biblical epic also includes Jennifer Connelly, Emma Watson, and Ray Winstone. The film is set for an early 2014 release.

Calvinist Dropped from program at Baptist Seminary

A proponent of "new Calvinism" is no longer on the speaker schedule for a Southern Baptist conference in North Carolina. Associated Baptist Press reports C.J. Mahaney was "named in a highly publicized lawsuit alleging participation in what has been described as the biggest evangelical sexual-abuse scandal to date.." and now he won't be speaking at the 20/20 Collegiate Conference at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Read the story here.

Atheist takes over Preacher's Twitter Account

An evangelist has had his official Twitter account taken over by an unknown atheist, according to the Christian Post. The news site says the interloper has given Comfort an ultimatum: "Stop "denigrating" nonbelievers or you won't get your Twitter account back." Read more here.

Pastor may lose credentials over gay wedding

Frank Schaefer may lose his pastor credentials for breaking Methodist church law by officiating at his gay son's wedding. ABC News has a video report.

Breaking News

Atheist 'mega-churches'

At a recent service for atheists, "Hundreds of atheists and atheist-curious packed into a Hollywood auditorium for a boisterous service filled with live music, moments of reflection, an "inspirational talk" about forgotten — but important — inventors and scientists and some stand-up comedy. During the service, attendees stomped their feet, clapped their hands and cheered as Jones and Evans led the group through rousing renditions of "Lean on Me," ''Here Comes the Sun" and other hits that took the place of gospel songs." Read the Associated Press story here.

How Billy Graham became an American icon

Donald Trump and Rupert Murdoch were among the hundreds who attended Billy Graham’s 95th birthday party in the hills of North Carolina this past Thursday. CNN takes a look at Billy Graham's place in American society in an article here.

5 facts about atheists

Here’s what we know about self-described atheists and their beliefs:

1. Their numbers are rising
2. They tend to be male and younger than the general population
3. 14% of those who call themselves atheists also say they believe in God or a universal spirit
4. A quarter (26%) say they think of themselves as spiritual people
5. Many feel a deep connection with nature and the earth

Read more here.

Happy Birthday Billy Graham!

Billy Graham was born in this day (Nov. 7) in 1918. Here's some significant events in the life of the Evangelist Billy Graham:

1918: Born William Franklin Graham, Jr on Nov 7 and raised on a 300-acre dairy farm near Charlotte, North Carolina by Presbyterian parents.

1934: Became a Christian at age of 16 after attending a revival meeting in Charlotte of traveling evangelist Mordecai Ham.

1936: Attended Bob Jones's college but soon dropped out 1939: Ordained by a church in the Southern Baptist Convention.

1940: Bachelor of theology, Florida Bible Institute (now Trinity College) and meets Ruth Bell at Wheaton College.

1943: Graduates from Wheaton College in Illinois with a Bachelor of Arts in anthropology and marries the daughter of a missionary surgeon, Ruth McCue Bell; Became pastor of the First Baptist Church in Western Springs, Illinois.

1945: Meets President Harry Truman and knows each President since that time.

1949: Los Angeles crusade puts Graham into the public eye. Scheduled for 3 weeks, the meetings were extended to more than 8 weeks 1950: Founds the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.

1957: A revival in Madison Square Garden proved so popular, it was extended from six to 16 weeks

1964: Given the Speaker of the Year Award.

1969: Recognized by the Anti-Defamation League of the Bnai Brith.

1971: Recognized by The National Conference of Christians and Jews; His book The Jesus Generation sold 200,000 copies in the first two weeks.

1975: His book Angels: Gods Secret Agents sells one million copies within 90 days.

1977: His book How to Be Born Again had the largest first printing in publishing history with 800,000 copies.

1982: Given the $1 million Templeton Prize for Progress in Religion.

1983: Awarded Presidential Medal of Freedom; His book Approaching Hoofbeats: The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse is published.

1996: Given Congressional Gold Medal Award.

1997: His autobiography, Just As I Am is published appears simultaneously on the three top best-seller lists in one week.

2000: Given the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation Freedom Award.

2001: Awarded an honorary knighthood by Queen Elizabeth 2003: The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association moves from Minneapolis to Charlotte, North Carolina.

2004: Partial hip replacement in January as the result of a cracked pelvis from a fall; He suffers from Parkinson symptoms.

2005: Graham preaches his last crusade in New York. An estimated 210 million people in 185 countries have heard him preach.

2005: Ground broken in Charlotte, North Carolina for a library and museum dedicated to him. It costs $27 million

2007: His wife of 63 years, Ruth Graham, dies.

2007: The Billy Graham Library and Graham's boyhood home open to the public.

2008: Graham celebrates his 90th birthday with a private family dinner near the near his Asheville, North Carolina home.

2009: Billy Graham’s weekly Hour of Decision radio program is heard around the world. His World Wide Pictures has produced and distributed over 125 evangelical films. Graham’s newspaper column, My Answer, is carried by newspapers both nationally and internationally. Decision magazine has a circulation of more than one million. Graham has written 24 books.

MORE INFO

Bible Society leader dismissed

The president of the American Bible Society was let go after just a few months on the job. It's not clear what brought about Doug Birdsall's dismissal. The board only mentioned differences in how to reach the ABS's goals. Birdsall went through lung cancer surgery this summer. Read more about the situation at Christianity Today here.

Crouch hospitalized

Trinity Broadcasting Network founder Paul Crouch is in a Dallas hospital for a heart condition. The 79-year-old Crouch has a pacemaker and was having trouble breathing. He is presently in a court battle with his granddaughter. She says TBN fired her for uncovering wrongdoing, but lawyers for the ministry accuse Brittany Koper of embezzlement.

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.

Christian adoption movement slowing

Some evangelicals are so enamored of international adoption as a mission of spiritual salvation" reports the Associated Press, "that they have closed their eyes to adoption-related fraud and trafficking, and have not fully embraced alternatives that would help orphans find loving families in their home countries. Read the full story here.

Robertson: Rebuke Deafness

Religious broadcaster Pat Robertson told a mother of a deaf child this week who wrote to his 700 Club the first thing to do to help her son is to rebuke the "spirit of deafness." Robertson went on to tell her that this method had worked for him in the past.

Pastor builds $1.7 million home

The pastor of the largest megachurch in North Carolina just built a 16,000-square-foot mansion for $1.7 million. WCNC-TV did an investigation of Steven Furtick and his ministry in the video here.

Stole computers from church: "Forgive me"

Someone stole computers from a Nevada megachurch--and then retunred them, asking for forgiveness. Read the story in Christian Post here.

Florida Megachurch Suffers Major Drop in Attendance

Only about 650 people come each week to the Calvary Assembly of God in the Orlando area--even though the facility seats 5000. More on what's happened at the Christian Post.  Read the story here.

Megachurch pastor: Horrors of marriage kept secret

A megachurch pastor has told his South Carolina megachurch that his wife has been repeatedly unfaithful to him and she has checked herself into a one-year rehab clinic because of emotional problems. Ron Carpenter didn't tell the Redemption World Outreach Center congregation when he expected Hope Hilley Carpenter to return. Read more at Charisma here and WHNS-TV here.

Andrae Crouch hospitalized

TMZ is reporting that gospel singer Andrae Crouch fell ill Sunday at his Los Angeles home and was hospitalized for a few hours. The 71-year-old Crouch told the celebrity news site that he believes the episode was diabetes-related.

Backlash at Rick Warren's Church

The controversial image 

 

 

Comments by Saddleback pastor Rick Warren and a video shown at the church have prompted hundreds of Asian American church leaders and their supporters have put out an open letter about “the continuing divide that persists in the North American evangelical church in the area of racial harmony.” The letter called on Evangelicals to “make a more concerted effort to both understand and address the concerns of (their) Asian American brothers and sisters.” Warren posted a photo (to the left) on Facebook that many Asian readers found offensive--a smiling Chinese woman dressed in Red Guard uniform with the caption "The typical attitude of Saddleback Staff as they start work each day." The Red Guard has a history of atrocities. Warren called it a joke, but ne commenter said it is like "joking about the Holocaust." He apologized a couple of days later. A video shown at a Saddleback video further created a stir, when a white actor pretended to be an Asian from the movie Karate Kid, speaking in a mock accent. Another apology was issued and the video was taken down. Saddleback opened a new branch this month in Hong Kong.

Bible Miniseries coming to Theaters

The producers of the 5-part TV miniseries called The Bible are re-editing the video, adding some footage, and releasing it for the big screen. The Son of God should be in theaters shortly before Ash Wednesday of next year.

Oprah challenges Atheist

Long distance swimmer Diana Nyad told Oprah Winfrey she's an atheist who believes in “awe” and “wonder.” Winfrey told the 64-year-old swimmer that she isn't really an atheist because she couldn't believes in those things and not believe in God--because "that is what God is."

InterVarsity sued for Firing woman over Divorce

A former InterVarsity Christian Fellowship worker is suing the Michigan nonprofit for firing her. Alyce Conlon says she was let go because of her marriage fall apart--even though men were allowed to remain at IVCF despite getting divorces and remarrying. Conlon worked at InterVarsity for 25 years.