Jon & Kate Book

A Christian publisher still plans to release a book about Jon & Kate Plus Eight despite the couple’s pending divorce. Zondervan is set to put Kate Gosselin’s book on store shelves this fall. It’s titled Love is in the Mix: Making Meals into Memories and will offer recipes and "meaningful mealtime blessings”. Zondervan has already released two books about the couple who announced their separation on a recent episode of their popular TLC network show.

Church Softball Player Dies

A Cleveland man died following a collision on a softball field during a church league game. WJW has the story.

Bible Study Ban Removed

The Tulsa Housing Authority has reversed itself and told Child Evangelism Fellowship it can hold Bible studies again in public housing projects. The Youth at Heart organization, a non-profit that administers recreational programs for the Housing Authority had told the ministry there is a prohibition on religious instruction on public housing property. Young at Heart insisted teachers not mention God or Jesus The meetings had been a part of CEF's summer outreach for the past two decades.

Dollar Lawsuit

Creflo Dollar is being accused of stealing a business idea from a California businessman. Devone Lawson filed a lawsuit against the Atlanta TV preacher, saying he first came up with a spiritual text message business concept. He now wants $10 million. Dollar is one of several televangelists who’ve come under Congressional scrutiny in recent years over the financial setup of his ministry.

Library Loses in Court

A California library has been ordered to let a Christian group use its facility. The Contra Costa County Library had refused to let Faith Center Church Evangelistic Ministries meet at the Antioch branch. A federal judge says that's unconstitutional because the room is open for public use. It's been used by groups like Sierra Club and Narcotics Anonymous.

New Lobbyist

The National Association of Evangelicals has a new lobbyist in Washington. Richard Cizik is out after he endorsed gay civil unions. Galen Carey who has worked for World Relief (the NAE's humanitarian arm) will take over. He attended Trinity University in Chicago and earned his doctorate from McCormick Theological Seminary. Cizik is now helping to organize a Muslim-Christian dialogue and a nationwide Earth Day in 2010.

Warren to Islamic Meeting

Mega-church pastor Rick Warren will speak at the upcoming annual convention of the Islamic Society of North America over the Fourth of July weekend in Washington, D.C. The Saddleback Church pastor will take part in a panel discussion. Some 40,000 Muslims are expected to attend.

Baptists Cut Ties with Church

Southern Baptists have ended a 125-year old relationship with a Texas church over gay members. The annual Southern Baptist Convention, meeting in Kentucky, decided to dismiss Fort Worth’s Broadway Baptist Church. The church has a controversy arise two years ago about whether to include photos of same-sex couples in the membership directory. The congregation decided to compromise by including group photos rather than shots of single families. Here is more about the photo controversy. Staff members say the church has taken no stance on gay issues.

Church Losing Home

WAVY-TV has the story of a Newport News, Virginia church forced to leave its facility.

Jon and Kate

Kate of Jon and Kate Plus 8 was featured in a video series for a Chicago megachurch called Families at their Best. But now that the couple featured on the TLC reality show are divorcing, Willow Creek Community Church is trying to reach out to Kate Gosselin. The live interview between her earlier this year with the church’s teaching pastor draw a large crowd. They discussed her faith and family. However, TLC would not allow the program to be recorded.

Rock & Religion

The lead singer of the band Disturbed grew up as an Orthodox Jew and almost became a rabbi.

Ozzy Osbourne of Black Sabbath got his start playing R&B in a church basement.

Born-again artist Alice Cooper was rumored to have ripped the head off a live chicken at one of his concerts.

Dee Snider and JJ French of Twisted Sister along with Scott Ian of Anthrax took part in VH1's televised seder Matzo and Metal: A Very Classic Passover.

In 1992 Sinead O' Connor ripped up a picture of Pope John Paul II on live TV in protest of the Catholic Church's policies.

As a child, Michael Jackson went door-to-door as a missionary, distributing the Jehovah’s Witnesses Watchtower magazine.

Phish performs a version of a High Holiday prayer in Hebrew.

The rap group Run DMC includes an ordained minister.

Prince was born a Seventh-day Adventist and later became a Jehovah's Witness.

When he converted to Islam, Cat Stevens assumed the name Yusuf Islam.

Norah Jones’ father is legendary sitar player Ravi Shankar.

Episcopal Alternative

KDFW-TV in Dallas-Ft Worth has a video report on a new alternative for Episcopalians.

Jon Stewart Called a Prophet

"The Hebrew prophets often use humor, satire, and truth-telling to get their message across, and I feel you do a combination of all three. I think you are a little like a Hebrew prophet after all." - Jim Wallis writing in the July issue of Sojourners magazine to the Daily Show's Jon Stewart

Video Game Murder

An Ohio pastor's son says he killed his mother for taking away his video game. A judge sentenced Daniel Petric to 23 years in prison for shooting her and his father. Petric says she tried to stop him from playing Halo 3. He had been playing it as much as 18 hours a day. The judge in the case said in his ruling, “I feel confident that if there weren't such things as violent video games, I wouldn't know Daniel Petric.” His father is pastor of New Life Assembly of God in Wellington, Ohio. He told the judge that the family had forgiven him and asked for leniency.

Motto Vote in Congress

The House will vote this Wednesday on whether In God We Trust should be engraved in stone at the new Capitol Visitor Center along with the Pledge of Allegiance. E Pluribus Unum had been put up by the directors of the Visitor Center as the nation’s motto but two lawmakers caught the mistake. If it passes the House, the bill will move to the Senate.

Top Book

WORLD Magazine has tapped the English Standard Version Study Bible as its Book of the Year. Coming in at 2750 pages, it was first published in 2001 and updated in 2008. This study Bible includes more than 20-thousand commentary notes from nearly 100 scholars.

Thomas Kinkade: Fraud Allegations

A judge has ordered Thomas Kinkade to pay more than two-million dollars to two gallery owners. They claim he left them financially ruined by using religion to get them to make large investments in a project that had no chance of success. Other investors sued Kinkade but were not successful in court. Kinkade is considering an appeal of this latest ruling.

Kinkade’s distinctive style has been panned by the critics but has sold well to Evangelicals. He often uses Christian themes in his work.

No Tracts at Arab Fest

A Christian group won't be handing out tracts at the Arab festival in Dearborn, Michigan that starts today. A judge sided with the city which decided the Arabic Christian Perspective had to be stopped from giving out religious literature as a matter of public safety. The organzation has been offered a table or booth instead.

Kurt Warner

KTVK-TV interviews Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner about Habitat for Humanity.

Focus Changes Policies

Focus on the Family is loosening up. No longer are women required to wear dresses or skirts with hosiery. Workers at the organization founded by James Dobson and based on Colorado can wear dress pants and pantsuits. And men can skip the business suits for an open-collar shirt.