Growing diversity in the workplace has led to a spike in religious discrimination filings with the federal government, according to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. "Some employers are having growing pains in adjusting their policies to comply with the law," said EEOC spokesman David Grinberg. However, employers generally do not have to pay workers for time off taken for religious reasons, so workers should arrange to use vacation or unpaid personal days. [Read More]

The foreclosure hammer is hitting ever harder. People lost their homes at the highest rate on record in the first three months of the year, and late payments soared to a new high, too - an alarming sign that the housing crisis and its damage to the national economy may only get worse. Dumping more empty homes on an already glutted market also is likely to put a further drag on home prices - extending a vicious cycle. [Read More]

The Best Christian Workplaces Institute (BCWI) recently announced its annual list of best Christian places to work in the United States for 2008. BCWI surveyed more than 7,834 employees in 67 organizations across the nation to identify the best workplaces with a Christian mission and/or values. Based on the survey, people love to work for the Best Christian Workplaces for two reasons: the cause and the culture. "I get to use my skills to help thousands of the poorest children in the world, and work at a place where people care about me," one survey participant said, according to BCWI. [Read More]

Rev. Dr. Jeremiah Wright will be the keynote speaker for the International Detroit Black Expo (IDBE) Buy Black Weekend II Ecumenical Prayer Service. The service will be held at the Fellowship Chapel in Detroit on Wednesday, June 4 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. This awe-inspiring ceremony, hosted by metro Detroit’s faith-based leaders, will be an evening to promote unity and harmony within the African-American community. Dr. Wright is the Senior Pastor of the Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago and served as Senator Barack Obama’s pastor for more than 20 years. He is recognized as a leading theologian and pastor and has published four books and numerous articles.  [Read More]

Black Christian Book company Bridging the Gap Between Black  Publishers, Authors and the Book Trade. Black Christian Book Distributors of Dallas, Texas, which was founded in September of 2007, states its mission as: the marketing and distributing of quality Christian books written by black and white authors to every available outlet in the urban and rural areas across the United States of America and around the world. BCBD’s aim and purpose is to reach African-Americans and whosoever will with a clear presentation of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ through the printed page, and with materials that will enrich their faith. [Read More]

The online community of communicators is changing and the traditional worlds of journalism and public relations need to catch up, declares a Detroit-based marketing and communications expert. "If you're not on Google, the world thinks you don't exist," says Pam Perry, chief visionary of Ministry Marketing Solutions who counsels media and marketing operatives to "amp up" their online activity as social media such as blogs and podcasts strengthen their domination of these sectors. [Read More]