Souther Baptist Numbers

Southern Baptist membership fell about half a percentage point to 16.16 million during 2009, according to a report from LifeWay Christian Resources. The nation’s largest Protestant denomination also saw a slip in giving to missions down to $1.33 billion, a decline of 1.8%.

Large Cross Stolen

A seven-foot-tall cross in the Mojave Desert that sparked a Supreme Court dispute has been stolen. Fox News reports.

Seminary President's Claims Investigated

The Jerry Falwell founded Liberty University has launched a formal inquiry into claim as to whether the head of its seminary made up parts of his testimony about growing up as a Sunni Muslim before converting to Christianity. Ergun Caner, president of the Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary & Graduate School, is accused in blogs as fabricating parts of his background for speaking engagements. One blogger says Caner was not born in Turkey but Sweden and he's been in the US since the age of four.

Police: Singers Stole from Churches

Authorities in central Georgia say two gospel singers face burglary charges for breaking into several churches and stealing $100,000 worth of equipment. The Washington County Sheriff's office says drummer Rico Blackshear from Dublin and Deshawn Thomas of Sandersville have been linked the pair to at least two dozen incidents beginning last November. The case was broken when officers received a tip about the pair performing with gospel bands at the churches where thefts occurred. They apparently went back and broke into the churches later.

Cable Show about Jesus

Comedy Central has a cartoon series in the works about Jesus called JC. The production company behind The Office and The Biggest Loser (Reveille) is behind the effort. According to producers, the program shows Jesus as a "regular guy" who moves to New York to "escape his father's enormous shadow." His Heavenly Father is portrayed as more interested in playing video games than listening to his son.

Atheists: Arrest the Pope!

Atheist authors Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens are lobbying to have Pope Benedict XVI arrested for “crimes against humanity” when he visits Britain in September.

Writing in Newsweek, Christopher Hitchens says the Pope once sent a letter to all Catholic bishops instructing them to say nothing about rape or molestation allegations to anyone outside the church. Failing to report a crime is a crime in itself. There’s also evidence that Ratzinger was “lenient or negligent” with a number of priests known to be pedophiles.

Dawkins, in the London Guardian suggests thinking of the situation where a teacher is molesting pupils but the administrator simply moves the offender to a new school, explaining in a letter to colleagues that it would harm the government’s reputation to admit that a pedophile had ever been employed. If such a letter ever came to light, that official would “immediately have to resign in ignominy, and face prosecution himself.”

Gay Policy Remains

Michigan's Hope College will not change its policy condemning homosexual behavior and advocacy. The board of the Christian college voted Friday to keep things as they are, despite a petition from alumni, student and community groups asking for a change. The effort was triggered by a visit from the maker of the movie Milk which told the story of a gay San Francisco politician. The school would not allow the film to be shown last year. It's historically associated with the Reformed Church in America.

Homegrown Jihad

The Christian Action Network is putting up billboards near Islamic communities around the country to promote a documentary called Homegrown Jihad. It warns about the dangers of radical Islam. One in South Carolina is known as Islamville which has been identified in a report from the Nashville-based Regional Organized Crime Information Center as a paramilitary training compounds. The leader of the community was once listed as an international terrorist. An elder denies those claims and the local sheriff says there's no indication of criminal activity. Neighbors close to a villiage in upstate New York called Holy Islamville say they regularly hear gunfire.

Radio Station Sale Goes Through

The only classical music station in St. Louis will soon blast contemporary Christian music. The Lutheran Church Missouri Synod is selling KFUO-FM (Classic 99.1) to Christian music broadcaster Joy FM for $26 million. Classical music enthusiasts have been fighting the move for a year, trying to get the FCC to block the sale but the agency has approved the sale.

Graham Prays at Pentagon Anyway

Evangelist Franklin Graham prayed on a sidewalk outside the Pentagon today after his invitation to a prayer service inside was withdrawn because of comments that insulted Muslims.

Abortion Bill Veto Sticks

Lawmakers in Kansas failed to override the governor's veto of a bill to tighten restrictions on late-term abortions. Kansas no longer has a clinic known to perform abortions in the final trimester since the murder of physician George Tiller last year.

Poll on Prayer

A new poll find 92% of Americans say there is a God and 83% say he answers prayers. The USA TODAY/Gallup Poll 57% approve of the National Day of Prayer while only 4.5% opposed it.

Suit to Stop Graduation at Church

The ACLU has filed a lawsuit in an attempt to stop the Enfield, Connecticut public schools from holding graduation ceremonies in a church. They filed the suit on behalf of two high school seniors and three of their parents. The ceremony has been held at the First Cathedral a few miles south in Bloomfield.

Gay Pastor to Stay

The Lutheran Church plans to reinstate a gay pastor in Atlanta. WAGA-TV offers this video report.

Women Addicted to Porn

Kansas megachurch offers counseling for women addicted to pornography. The New York Times offers a profile here.

Dobson Switches Endorsment

James Dobson has switched his endorcement in Kentucky's Senate race. He's calling on voters to support tea party favorite Rand Paul after first endorsing Secretary of State Trey Grayson. Dobson says he was misled by Republican leaders as to each candidate's positions. Dobson says he was told Paul was not opposed to abortion though both candidates have expressed anti-abortion positions. While Paul has the backing of Sarah Palin and one-time presidential candidate Steve Forbes while former Vice President Dick Cheney and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani has endorsed Grayson.

Praying for Obama's Death

There are calls for Facebook to shut down a group that's being accused of "praying" for the death of President Barack Obama. The group has more than 1 million members. There are fake photos showing, for instance, the president against a communist flag and a cartoon associating Obama to Hitler. Its location is listed as Marysville, OH, 43040.

The group is called, "DEAR LORD, THIS YEAR YOU TOOK MY FAVORITE ACTOR, PATRICK SWAYZIE. YOU TOOK MY FAVORITE ACTRESS, FARAH FAWCETT. YOU TOOK MY FAVORITE SINGER, MICHAEL JACKSON. I JUST WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW, MY FAVORITE PRESIDENT IS BARACK OBAMA. AMEN."

Another group is calling itself "Petition to remove Facebook group praying for President Obama's death," is denouncing the anti-Obama group and advocate for its removal. This group has more than 650,000 members.

National Day of Prayer

The 59th annual National Day of Prayer is next Thursday, May 6th. A federal judge in Wisconsin ruled this month that the day is a call to religious action and deemed it unconstitutional. The ruling can't take effect until all appeals are exhausted. Congress first established a National Prayer Day in 1952. In 1988, lawmakers set the first Thursday in May as the official day for presidents to issue proclamations asking Americans to pray.

Racist Remark from 1st Baptist, Dallas

The First Baptist Church of Dallas is apologizing for an ethnic slur made by the interim president of Criswell College Sunday that was heard over the radio on KCBI-FM. Lamar Cooper was about to teach a Sunday school class when he could be heard using the word wetbacks while talking about the controversial illegal-immigration law in Arizona. The church has received many complaints Cooper will apologize during next Sunday's class but it will not be broadcast as the remark was.

Complaint of Prayer at Public School

The Freedom From Religion Foundation claims the band director at Oxford High School in Oxford, Alabama is illegally leading his symphonic band class in prayer. School officials say that's not happening. The group also charges the instructor has threatened to fail students who don't attend a concert taking place at local Baptist church. The school's principal says the concert was not mandatory and only students lead prayers.