Tebow to speak at Texas church

Tim Tebow's plan to speak at the First Baptist Church of Dallas in April is catching some criticism. The church's pastor, Robert Jeffress, has been in the news for making controversial comments on gays and other topics. Among them:

Gays shouldn’t be allowed in the military because "70 percent" have AIDS.

Islam, Mormonism and Judaism came “from the pit of hell”

Obama’s reelection “would lead to a rise of the Antichrist”

Gay activists try to hide “the link between homosexuality and pedophilia.”

The church is completing work on a new $130 million campus. It should be open by April.

Toby Honored

The Award for Best Contemporary Christian Music Album goes to.. TobyMac. He took the Grammy for his latest release, Eye On It. It's his second Grammy as solo artist and 6th overall (he used to be part of DC Talk). Eye On It hit number one on the Billboard Top 200 and iTunes® Overall Album charts. The video that goes with the title track got more than half-a-million views in just three weeks.

Sworn in on iPad Bible app

Several firefighters in Atlantic City, New Jersey took their oaths of office using not a physical Bible, as is tradition, but a Bible app on Apple's iPad. See a video report from WMGM-TV.

NBC40.net

What happened to God in America?

CNN's Carol Costello reports on the growing number of Americans who don't believe in God.

Mainstream Christian Music

A look at the impact of Christian music on the mainstream.

Watch Mainstream Christian Music on PBS. See more from Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly.

Dobson writes Novel

Religious News Service interviews James Dobson about his new novel here.

Young Celebs met for Bible Study

Selena Gomez is attending a Bible study with other young stars, according to US Weekly. The group includes Matt Lanter, Vanessa Hudgens and Justin Bieber--who just broke up with Gomez. Bieber's mom is a regular. Leading the group is E! reporter Jason Kennedy. They discuss the Bible, enjoy snacks and often when they gather in a Beverly Hills hotel conference room.

Dallas megachurch pastor changing ways he addresses homosexuality

A magachurch pastor says he is changing how he makes references to homosexuality in the pulpit. Robert Jeffress, pastor of the 11,000-member First Baptist Dallas, tells the Associated Press he usually talks about homosexuality within "a bigger context of God's plan for sex between one man and one woman in a lifetime relationship called marriage. It would be the height of hypocrisy to condemn homosexuality and not adultery or unbiblical divorce." Jeffress also says he is open to the possibility that sexual orientation has a genetic basis that cannot be cured or prayed away. "I think we were too quick to dismiss the possibility of a genetic predisposition (but) we cannot pick and choose what parts of God's word we are called to share. God gave it to us, not to hurt people, but to help people. My sense is that people are just avoiding the subject, by and large. They are so bent on trying to add to the numbers of their churches that they don't want to disenfranchise new members or be characterized as unfriendly."

Applebee's Waitress Fired

We told you about the receipt left for an Applebee’s waitress by a pastor on which she wrote “I give God 10%, why should you get 18.” The waitress, Chelsea, posted a photo of it on Reddit. But now the Applebee's in St. Louis has fired Chelsea. HuffPost Comedy has started a petition with hopes of convincing Applebee's to rehire Chelsea.

Bible study for sports stars

Christian sports legends Bubba Watson, Tim Tebow, and Ben Crane gathered together this week for a Bible study in Phoenix. Read the story here.

Receipt Photo Goes Viral

A restaurant receipt has gotten a pastor a lot of attention on Reddit. She left it at an St. Louis Applebee’s and added this comment, “I give God 10%, why do you get 18?” Pastor Alois Bell of Truth in the World Deliverance Ministries says she ended up leaving a tip of $6.29 — the same amount that was scribbled out on the receipt — and that her credit card was also charged with an additional $6.29. Bell told
everyone else at her table also left tips in cash. Bell told KTVI-TV that when the receipt was posted to Reddit, Bell said people started sending her angry messages. “I’ve been harassed because of this and it doesn’t tell the whole story.” 

Stanley gets heat for Obama comment

Megachurch pastor Andy Stanley responds to his description of President Obama as 'pastor in chief' here.

Megachurch Cities

A Barna survey finds Las Vegas has the highest concentration of megachurch attendees. On the other end- Salt Lake City, Madison, Wisconsin, and Toledo, Ohio. The survey also finds one in ten of the people who say they are Christians attend a church with 1,000 or more regular attenders. After Vegas comes:

2. Baton Rouge
3. Tampa-St. Petersburg
4. Orlando
5. Dallas, Fort Worth
6. Houston
7. Albuquerque/Sante Fe

Megan Fox and the Pentecostal church

Megan Fox says knows what it’s like to be filled with the Holy Spirit. The actress tells Esquire she started speaking in tongues at the age of eight when she attended a Pentecostal church in Tennessee.

“It feels like a lot of energy coming through the top of your head—I’m going to sound like such a lunatic—and then your whole body is filled with this electric current. And you just start speaking, but you’re not thinking because you have no idea what you’re saying. Words are coming out of your mouth, and you can’t control it. The idea is that it’s a language only God understands. It’s the language that’s spoken in heaven. I can’t stand pills. I don’t like drinking. I don’t like feeling out of control. I have to feel like I’m in control of my body. And I know what you’re thinking: Then why would I want to go to church and speak in tongues? You have to understand, there I feel safe. I was raised to believe that you’re safe in God’s hands. But I don’t feel safe with myself.”

Fox is now a member of a non-denominational church, which she says offers her a refuge from the madness of Hollywood.

Pastor Missing in Iran

An American pastor is missing in Iran. He was imprisoned in Iran on charges of evangelizing others, but no one has heard from him lately. lFox News spoke with his wife to find out the latest.

Poll: Religious Liberty Threatened

A new Barna poll shows about half of all Americans are concerned that religious freedom is at risk in the country. A large number of them say they believe activist groups are making an attempt to remove “traditional Christian values” from the public square. Here's the breakdown.

How concerned are you that religious liberties are under threat in the U.S.?
Very - 29%
Somewhat - 22%

71% of Evangelicals responding to the question answered "very" or "somewhat" while 97% of Evangelicals agreed with the statement “some groups have actively tried to move society away from traditional Christian values.”

A poll by Religion News Service and the Public Religion Research Institute nearly a year ago found 56% of Americans did NOT feel that religious freedom was under attack in this nation. The Barna poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

#1 Album

A Christian album hits the Billboard chart at number one. Chris Tomlin talks about his new album with Fox News in the video below.

This is Religious Freedom Day

Each year, the President declares January 16th to be Religious Freedom Day and calls upon Americans to "observe this day through appropriate events and activities in homes, schools, and places of worship." The day is the anniversary of the passage, in 1786, of the Virginia Statute of Religious Freedom.The goal is the promotion and protection of students' religious expression rights by informing educators, parents, and students about these liberties.

Inaugural Benediction

Luis León will give the closing prayer at the presidential inauguration. He is pastor of Saint John’s Church, an Episcopal parish located near the White House. It is so close, in fact, a pew has been reserved for the president to visit any service since 1815. In 2005 Luis León gave the invocation for the President George W. Bush’s second inauguration. Just a few days ago, Atlanta Evangelical pastor Louie Giglio withdrew from consideration after a sermon he gave more than a decade ago about gays came to light.

Why Washington's National Cathedral will start hosting same sex weddings

CNN reports on a change at the Washington, DC cathedral which has hosted many national events.