Faith and Religion

Oklahoma bill introduced to protect high school Bible classes

Posted: 9:38 am on February 08, 2010

A bill has been introduced in the Oklahoma Senate to protect the rights of public high schools to teach Bible classes framing it as a historical document. The bill is similar to legislation already passed in Texas, Alabama and Georgia.

View the full story published by The Oklahoman

tags: Bible, education, Oklahoma, politics, schools

Missionary returns to U.S. after being freed from North Korea

Posted: 9:36 am on February 08, 2010

A Korean-American missionary who defiantly crossed a frozen river into North Korea intent on urging a change in its leadership has reunited with his overjoyed family, silent and downcast after 43 days in the communist nation’s custody.

View the full story published by Associated Press

tags: missionaries, North Korea, Robert Park

Super Bowl of Preaching draws a crowd

Posted: 9:00 am on February 08, 2010

A Cincinnati church continued a Super Bowl weekend tradition by holding its annual Super Bowl of Preaching over Saturday and Sunday. The event drew thousands to as pastors discussed topics pertaining to parenting and men’s involvement in the development of families’ faith.

View the full story published by Cincinnati Enquirer

tags: pastors, prayer, Super Bowl, Super Bowl of Preaching, worship

Tim Tebow pro-life ad used soft-sell approach

Posted: 7:08 am on February 08, 2010

The controversy swirling around the Super Bowl ad featuring University of Florida quarterback Tim Tebow and his mother Pam sponsored by Focus on the Family largely ended following the airing of the commercial. The 30-second spot featured the pair talking briefly about Tebow being a “miracle baby” and him playfully tackling his mother. The commercial directs viewers to the ministry’s site which details her decision not to abort Tim over doctors’ advice.

View the full story published by Los Angeles Times

tags: abortion, Focus on the Family, Super Bowl, television, Tim Tebow

Blog: Church leaders bear responsiblity for jailed missionaries in Haiti

Posted: 6:57 am on February 08, 2010

A veteran religion reporter and columnist suggests that the Southern Baptist Convention leadership be held responsible for the missteps of the 10 missionaries from Idaho jailed in Haiti for attempting to take a busload of Haitian children over the border to the Dominican Republic.

View the full story published by The Dallas Morning News

tags: Baptists, Haiti, missionaries

National Marriage Week underway

Posted: 6:37 am on February 08, 2010

Starting yesterday through next Sunday – Valentine’s Day – is being celebrated as national Marriage Week. According to a report released last year by the National Center on African American Marriages and Parenting (NCAAMP) and the Institute for American Values, only 57 percent of adults were married in 2008, compared to the 78 percent that were married in 1970.

View the full story published by The Christian Post

tags: family, marriage, national Marriage Week, parenting

Christian world view presented in series to Iowa lawmakers

Posted: 6:24 am on February 08, 2010

A Christian video series meant to encourage people to focus on God in all areas of life, including government, is playing at the Iowa Capitol. The videos, produced Focus on the Family, cover ethics, science, family, art, government and other topics. The idea for the series sprang from people who gather at the Capitol for an informal Bible study once a week.

View the full story published by Des Moines Register

tags: Bible, Focus on the Family, government, Iowa, politics

Baptists aim to deliver Bible CD to all Texas homes by Easter

Posted: 6:11 am on February 08, 2010

Baptist groups are fanning across Texas to put multilingual Bible CDs in every household in the state by Easter. “I really think that people need to hear the Gospel in their heart language, whether they read and understand English or not, people need to know that God speaks their language,” Baptist General Convention of Texas executive director Randel Everett said.

View the full story published by Associated Press

tags: Baptists, Bible, Easter, Texas

Quiz: What kind of Christian are you?

Posted: 6:31 am on February 05, 2010

Take a quick quiz to get a snapshot of where you fall on the spectrum of Christian thought. What pastors or teaching excites you? How do you interpret the Bible?

View the full story published by Belief.net

tags: Bible, faith, quiz

Examining faith and The Beatles

Posted: 6:20 am on February 05, 2010

Ringo Starr’s recent comments that he feels close to God approaching his 70th birthday has brought The Beatles’ spirituality back into discussion, including rumors that John Lennon declared himself born again years after claiming the band was more popular than Jesus.

View the full story published by Assist News

tags: faith, John Lennon, music, Ringo Starr, The Beatles

Colts coaches remain on firm faith footing even without Dungy

Posted: 6:10 am on February 05, 2010

Tony Dungy established a new standard for blending successful coaching and faith during his tenure as Indianapolis Colts head coach. That Christian tradition among the coaching staff, including head coach Jim Caldwell, has continued uninterrupted during the Colts’ march to Sunday’s Super Bowl XLIV.

View the full story published by Baptist Press

tags: football, Indianapolis Colts, Jim Caldwell, NFL, sports, Super Bowl

Teen credits faith for helping him catch toddler falling from window

Posted: 5:50 am on February 05, 2010

An Austin, Texas, teen credited God for putting him in the right place at the right time to catch the two-year-old brother of a friend from a two-story fall. Cary Clevenger was skateboarding when the toddler fell from a bedroom into his arms.

View the full story published by News 8 Austin

tags: Cary Clevenger, faith, toddler rescue

Jenny Sanford takes husband to task in book

Posted: 9:00 pm on February 04, 2010

Jenny Sanford, wife of South Carolina governor Mark Sanford, pulls few punches in her autobiography “Staying True.”

View the full story published by Los Angeles Times

tags: books, Jenny Sanford, Mark Sanford

Departing Duke Divinity School chief leaves successful legacy

Posted: 8:32 pm on February 04, 2010

When he was chosen to lead the Duke Divinity School 13 years ago, L. Gregory Jones was an up-and-coming theologian but an untested administrator. Next month as Jones leaves the divinity school to become senior adviser for international strategy at Duke University, it will be his administrative skills that will be most difficult to replace.

View the full story published by Raleigh News & Observer

tags: Duke Divinity School, L. Gregory Jones, theology

Pastor: Kurt Warner provided model for evangelism

Posted: 8:13 pm on February 04, 2010

A pastor writes that Kurt Warner’s consistent pronouncements of his Christian faith backed up by equally consistent actions toward teammates.

View the full story published by Associated Baptist Press

tags: evangelsim, football, Kurt Warner, NFL, pastors, sports

Baptist group in Haiti charged with kidnapping

Posted: 8:07 pm on February 04, 2010

A 10-member Baptist church group from Idaho was charged with kidnapping by Haitian authorities Thursday for attempting to leave the country with a busload of children last week.

View the full story published by CNN

tags: Central Valley Baptist Church, earthquake, Haiti, human trafficking

Advisers describe Obama as ‘a prayerful guy.’

Posted: 7:00 am on February 04, 2010

President Obama’s advisers say that faith is a key factor in his decision making even if it is largely a private matter for himself and his family. Close advisers to the president said the role of faith, while subtle, has been noticeable in and around the Obama White House. One senior official described the president as “a prayerful guy.”

View the full story published by The Washington Post

tags: Barack Obama, faith, prayer

Pro-choice sport columnist defends Tim Tebow Super Bowl ad

Posted: 6:46 am on February 04, 2010

Washington Post sports columnist Sally Jenkins, who identifies herself as pro-choice, takes the National Organization for Women to ask for its opposition to University of Florida quarterback Tim Tebow’s Super Bowl advertisement. The ad, which is sponsored by Focus on the Family, will feature him and his mother, Pam, talking about her decision to give birth to Tim over doctors’ advice to have an abortion.

View the full story published by The Washington Post

tags: abortion, Focus on the Family, Super Bowl, television, Tim Tebow

Saints chaplain a long-time New Orleans leader

Posted: 6:37 am on February 04, 2010

The team chaplain for the New Orleans Saints will be rooting from his home in Louisiana on Sunday, but still feels a strong connection to the players. Fred Luter has been a leading Baptist pastor in the Big Easy for 23 years and, like many saw his church damaged and congregation scattered by Hurricane Katrina.