The request befuddled Leah Daughtry. The experienced political hand in charge of planning next month's Democratic National Convention — a self-described "black chick from Brooklyn" and ordained Pentecostal minister who keeps a Bible in her purse — didn't know what to tell the atheists. Daughtry, 44, was preparing for an Aug. 24 interfaith service that will open the Democrats' gathering here — a first for a party that hasn't always gotten God. Before her was an angry letter from a secularist group that wanted to know whether atheists would be on the podium. [Read More.]

Pope Benedict XVI used some of the strongest language yet in his apology Saturday for the sexual abuse of children by Australia's Roman Catholic clergy, but his words were just more of the same for the victims. The pope said he was "deeply sorry" for the sexual abuse, delivering a strongly-worded apology that described their acts as evil and a grave betrayal of trust. "I am deeply sorry for the pain and suffering the victims have endured and I assure them as their pastor that I too share in their suffering," Benedict said during an address at a Mass in Sydney. "Those responsible for these evils must be brought to justice," he said. [Read More.]

The Texas State Board of Education gave final approval Friday to establishing Bible classes in public high schools, rejecting calls to draw specific teaching guidelines and warnings that it could lead to constitutional problems in the classroom. The Legislature passed a law in 2007 allowing Bible courses to be offered as an elective. They are supposed to focus on the history and literature of the Bible without preaching or disparaging any faith. [Read More.]

The world's leading Internet evangelist, Bill Keller - founder of Liveprayer.com and the host of the Liveprayer TV program - has launched the Jonah Project to call the United States to repent, or face the judgment of God. In much the same way as the word delivered by the prophet Jonah 2900 years ago to the ancient city of Nineveh, Keller claims the Lord has called him to warn the nation to turn back to God and Biblical values, or experience His judgment for our sins and wickedness. [Read More.]

Rev. Timothy Wright, who with his wife and grandson, were in a tragic accident in route home from a Detroit church conference, is "holding on" say family members in Newsday. Wright remains hospitalized and alert. He was informed about the death of his grandson, D.J. Wright in the accident. However, the family is holding off telling the gospel artist and pastor about his beloved wife, Betty Wright, who also died in the weekend accident. [Read More.]

Reverend Edward Pinkney of Benton Harbor, Michigan, spent Christmas in jail this year when his probation was revoked for quoting Deuteronomy 28 in a newspaper article. On Thursday, December 20, Judge Alfred Butzbaugh ruled that the quotation from Moses was inflammatory and threatening and therefore a violation of Rev. Pinkney’s probation. [Read More.]

Christian activist groups are pushing for support outside the worldwide McDonald’s headquarters in Oak Brook, Ill., to bring attention to a boycott against what they said was the chain’s record of continued support and endorsement of homosexuality. "It's a shame that McDonald's would tarnish their family-friendly image," said American Family Association Chairman Don Wildmon in a statement. [Read More.]

"The Sacred Conversation" about Race and Racism invited by the United Church of hrist and the National Council of Churches USA. [Launch Audio/Visual]

More believers are tuning in to Christian radio for reasons other than music than some might think, according to a new survey. While the most popular reason for tuning in to Christian radio was to listen to Christian music (56 percent), 40 percent of Christians say they tune in to listen to sermons and teaching, the Wilson Research Strategies survey found. [Read More.]

The clock is winding down on the start of the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, China. On Aug 8, the historic Games will begin. Over 500,000 visitors will flock to Beijing and 10,000 competitors will participate in 203 events in 28 sports. It will be the most expensive Olympics in history – China has spent $40 billion upgrading infrastructures in and around Beijing. [Read More.]

Presidential candidate Barack Obama has stronger support among less religious Americans than rival John McCain, a survey revealed. The survey, conducted by The Gallup Poll and released Tuesday, found 55 percent of Americans who say religion is not important in their life backed Obama, compared to 36 percent for McCain. The reverse was true for Americans who said religion was important in their life, with 50 percent to 40 percent preferring McCain over Obama. [Read More.]

My son saw the caption on the magazine cover. I did not. I was late for work and headed towards the door. "Daddy," he asked. "Who would Jesus vote for?" He then pointed in the direction of a magazine rack and repeated his question. Apparently one of the news weeklies had asked the question on its cover. "I think none of the above." I answered. "Well," he pondered. "If Jesus wouldn't vote for any of the candidates why would you?" [Read More.]

A homosexual man who has a blog on Sen. Barack Obama's campaign website is suing two major Christian publishers for violating his constitutional rights and causing emotional pain, because the Bible versions they publish refer to homosexuality as a sin. Bradley LaShawn Fowler, 39, of Canton, Mich., is seeking $60 million from Zondervan and another $10 million from Thomas Nelson Publishing in lawsuits filed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, the Grand Rapids Press reported. [Read More.]

Two prominent mega-ministries under a Senate probe for opulent spending indicated they would institute reforms even before the investigation is complete, according to a new report. Charismatic preachers Joyce Meyer and Benny Hinn are the only two that have fully cooperated with an investigation that is currently scrutinizing four other popular ministries and they are now reportedly taking their own action to ensure proper financial standing as a nonprofit. [Read More.]

In an era where rising divorce rates and marital infidelity are rapidly becoming societal norms, hundreds of couples met together last month to buck the secular trends of the world with a renewed commitment to God and the sanctity of biblical marriage. Worldwide Marriage Encounter (WWME), which is active in over 90 countries and exists to give couples a “weekend experience” to recommit their marriages through “techniques of loving communication” centered on God, held its 40th anniversary convention on June 27-29 at the Ontario Convention Center in Ontario, Calif. [Read More.]

Barack Obama’s announcement of plans to not only maintain but to expand President Bush’s beloved faith-based programs apparently softened conservatives and Christian voters who had feared the initiative would be dismantled if a liberal Democrat were to take over the White House. The federal program that seeks to make it easier for faith-based organizations to get federal funding for social activities was not enough to “win over the evangelicals,” but it would “diminish some of the hostility” towards Obama by social conservatives who strongly oppose his positions on abortion and gay “marriage,” said conservative commentator Patrick Buchanan on MSNBC last week. [Read More.]

In the midst of mourning, members of the congregation led by gospel singer Timothy Wright raised their voices in praise and remembrance on Sunday, praying for their pastor's recovery and grieving the deaths of his wife and grandson in a head-on car crash. Congregants at the Grace Tabernacle Christian Center refused to be bowed by sorrow following the crash, which critically injured the Grammy-nominated Rev. Wright and killed co-pastor Betty Wright and their 14-year-old grandson. [Read More.]

Reverend Timothy Wright, otherwise known as the “godfather of gospel” was in an automobile accident Friday night that killed his two passengers, which were his wife, Betty Wright and D.J, his 14 year old grandson. The Reverend was driving on Interstate 80 in Greene Township, about 60 miles west of Manhattan according to state police. They were on their way home to Roosevelt Long Island. They were returning from a church conference in Detroit when they were hit head on by a car going the wrong way down the interstate. [Read More.]

Barack Obama found a receptive audience Saturday at the African Methodist Episcopal Church convention, where he reinforced his message of service, sacrifice and active faith. The crowd of thousands of delegates and leaders of the oldest predominantly black denomination in North America welcomed Obama as their own political son, who understands their language of God and church.  [Read More.]

An article issued by ANI, claims that Democratic Party presidential nominee Senator Barack Obama is losing the support of black pastors who believe that black Christians are voting for him on emotional grounds, instead of his stand on issues affecting American life. Ben Kinchlow, a former co-host for the Christian Broadcasting Network and author of the new book, “Black Yellowdog,” said many black church goers unthinkingly support the Democratic Party. [Read More.]

Although his latest book on the faith of political leader has not yet hit the shelves, author Stephen Mansfield has already found himself bombarded by hate mail. The Faith of Barack Obama, which will be available around August 5, adds to the several books Mansfield has already written on political men of faith, including George Bush and Tom Delay. However, unlike many of those on the political and religious right, the former evangelical pastor who refers to himself as a “Christian writer” and “patriot” was not very critical of the pro-gay, pro-choice White House contender, according to a recent review. [Read More.]

Church leaders have come out in support of Care for the Family's initiative to encourage churches to use family issues as opportunities to engage with their communities. The Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, General Secretary of the Baptist Union of Great Britain, Jonathan Edwards, The Salvation Army's Major Paul Main, and the Bishop of Sherwood, the Rt Rev Tony Porter, have all given their backing to the new initiative. [Read More.]

Conservatives are moving the Anglican Church for a new communion dominated by African bishops, according to an article by Phil Brennan, in reaction to the official church’s refusal to take a firm stand against homosexuality. According to The New York Times, Anglican conservatives say they represent a majority of the 77 million members of the Anglican Communion. [Read More.]

Taking a page from President Bush, Democrat Barack Obama said Tuesday he wants to expand White House efforts to steer social service dollars to religious groups, risking protests in his own party with his latest aggressive reach for voters who usually vote Republican. [Read More.]

Conservative Anglican leaders pledged Sunday to stay in the worldwide Anglican Communion, but they also announced plans to form a separate council of bishops to counter a movement within mainstream Anglicanism that they say promotes immoral behaviour. Their intentions were announced on the final day of the week-long Globan Anglican Future Conference in Jerusalem, convened largely in response to growing acceptance of gay clergy and the blessing of same-sex unions in North American churches. [Read More.]

Louisiana public school teachers can now educate their students about the theory of intelligent design and scientific criticisms of Darwinian evolutionary theory thanks to a new law signed this week by Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal. The Louisiana Science Education Act now allows teachers to supplement the state's curricula with additional scientific materials, but groups opposed to any debate over the "origin of the species" have warned that the new law will become the origin of the lawsuits if they believe it facilitates religion. [Read More.]

Barack Obama's presidential campaign plans to strike at the heart of the Republican base by attempting to woo Evangelical Christians and Roman Catholics to his side. The Christian Broadcasting Network's David Brody first broke the story on his blog "The Brody File." Obama's campaign for the conservative Christian vote, which has largely gone to the Republican presidential candidate in recent elections, has been dubbed the "Joshua Generation Project." [Read More.]

"You read about me in the history books, but now I’m dedicated to spreading the truth about preserving the dignity of all human life, from natural conception to natural death." –Norma McCorvey. According to a recent Citizen Link article, Norma McCorvey—formerly known as "Jane Roe" of the infamous Roe vs. Wade litigation—took her now pro-life message to a wider audience; recording spots to air on television. (Photo: McCorvey is baptized in '95/Operation Rescue) [Read More.]

If everything goes well and there are no surprises, as of next week the International Council of Christians and Jews (ICCJ) will for the first time be headed by a woman. Dr. Devorah Weissman, a former professor of Jewish education at the Hebrew University, has since the Eighties been a member of the ICCJ. A modern Orthodox feminist, Weissman is a member of the dovish religious group Netivot Shalom, and for years headed the Kerem Institute for Teacher Training for Humanistic-Jewish Education. [Read More.]

In a partial release of a study planned for publishing in full this fall, LifeWay Research's findings about evangelicals' beliefs regarding the exclusivity of Christ differed from the recently published results from a Pew poll. The Pew findings indicated widespread agreement with universalism in the U.S., "70 percent of Americans with a religious affiliation say that many religions -- not just their own -- can lead to eternal life." [Read More.]

In what pro-life advocates have described as nothing other than the miraculous work of God, a series of abortion clinics throughout Dallas have closed down after a prominent bishop began leading prayers for their closure 18 years ago. Since Bishop Charles Grahmann of the Catholic Diocese of Dallas first began leading his monthly prayer vigils outside the doors of abortion clinics over a decade ago, seven of the 13 abortion clinics in Dallas have closed, including, most recently, the only late term abortion clinic that deprived life to babies over 3 months old. [Read More.]

Mike Winters challenged himself to read more books than ever before. Averaging more than a book per week, the Southern Baptist pastor read 68 books during 2007. Winters, 57, told Baptist Press he tackled the reading regimen in addition to his study for sermon preparation. Reading the books "put me in a state of revival," he said. "Some of the desire I have in ministry right now came out of those readings. I want to see people saved. [Read More.]

More Americans are acquainted with a gay or lesbian person than an evangelical, according to a recent study. The latest research by Phoenix-based Ellison Research found that only 24 percent of all Americans who say they are not evangelical know an evangelical person very well and 40 percent have never known any evangelicals at all, even casually. Meanwhile, 53 percent say they know a homosexual person very well and 20 percent know such a person casually. [Read More.]

If Christian conservatives stay on the sidelines during the fall campaign, presidential hopeful John McCain probably stays in the Senate. Christian conservatives provided much of the on-the-ground, door-to-door activity for President Bush's 2004 re-election in Ohio and in other swing states. Without them, the less organized and lower-profile McCain campaign is likely to struggle to replicate Bush's success. [Read More.]

Barack Obama said Tuesday that evangelical leader James Dobson was "making stuff up" when he accused the presumed Democratic presidential nominee of distorting the Bible. On Tuesday, Dobson used his Focus on the Family radio program to highlight excerpts of a speech Obama gave in June 2006 to the liberal Christian group Call to Renewal. Speaking to reporters on his campaign plane before landing in Los Angeles, Obama said the speech made the argument that people of faith, like himself, "try to translate some of our concerns in a universal language so that we can have an open and vigorous debate rather than having religion divide us." Obama added, "I think you'll see that he was just making stuff up, maybe for his own purposes." [Read More.]

Barack Obama said Tuesday that evangelical leader James Dobson was "making stuff up" when he accused the presumed Democratic presidential nominee of distorting the Bible. Dobson used his Focus on the Family radio program to highlight excerpts of a speech Obama gave in June 2006 to the liberal Christian group Call to Renewal. [Read More]

Dr. James Dobson responds to a speech made by Barack Obama in which the presidential candidate, while discussing the role of religion in government, compares Dr. Dobson to political activist the Rev. Al Sharpton. Dr. Dobson also updates listeners on the battle to preserve traditional marriage in Arizona, and pays tribute to late broadcast journalist Tim Russert. Joining Dr. Dobson for a discussion of these important issues are Focus on the Family President Jim Daly and Tom Minnery, Focus' Vice President of Public Policy. [Read More. Listen to Audio.]

Sen. Barack Obama outlined his views on religion and government in a June 28, 2006, speech. He went so far as to equate Dr. James Dobson with the far-Left Rev. Al Sharpton. "Obviously, that is offensive to me," Dr. Dobson says. "He's deliberately distorting the traditional understanding of the Bible to fit his own worldview, his own confused theology." [Read More. Watch Video.]

Five sex offenders filed a lawsuit Tuesday claiming that a tough new Georgia law that bans them from volunteering at churches also robs them of their right to participate in religious worship. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Rome, claims the Georgia law effectively "criminalizes fundamental religious activities" for sex offenders and bars them from serving as a choir member, secretary, accountant or any other role with a religious organization. [Read More]

Candidates for the White House and other offices should be free to say how their religious beliefs impact them but should not be expected to explain the specifics of their faith, Southern Baptist church-state specialist Richard Land said at a forum on religion in the 2008 election. Appearing with five other panelists, Land said there needs to be a "careful distinction" in how candidates address their faith. [Read More]

Pro-family attorneys are optimistic now that a California appeals court has re-heard oral argument on the constitutionality of home schooling. Attorneys representing home-schooling families in California were already pleased that the court had agreed to rehear the case. Gary McCaleb, senior counsel with the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF), says even opposition attorneys were not prepared to argue that parents have no right to control the education of their children.  [Read More]

America remains a deeply religious nation, but a new survey finds most Americans don't believe their tradition is the only way to eternal life — even if the denomination's teachings say otherwise. The findings, revealed Monday in a survey of 35,000 adults, can either be taken as a positive sign of growing religious tolerance, or disturbing evidence that Americans dismiss or don't know fundamental teachings of their own faiths. [Read More]

As Barack Obama broadens his outreach to evangelical voters, one of the movement's biggest names, James Dobson, accuses the likely Democratic presidential nominee of distorting the Bible and pushing a "fruitcake interpretation" of the Constitution. [Read More]

It's back to the pulpit for Father Michael Pfleger. Two weeks ago, Cardinal Francis George ordered him to take a two-week leave of absence from St. Sabina Catholic Church, after controversial comments by Pfleger surfaced on the Internet. As CBS 2's Mike Parker reports, on Monday Pfleger invited reporters and cameras into his church office on his first day back to St. Sabina. The deal was supposed to be for pictures only, but once reporters and cameras were inside, Pfleger's talkative side emerged. [Read More]

A recent court decision in Canada should send chills down every parent's spine. The ruling is so out of bounds that the news story sounds like a parody -- but it isn't. A Canadian judge ruled that a 12-year-old girl was "excessively" punished when her father told her she could not go on a school camping trip because she had broken rules for use of the Internet. [Read More]

They appeared to be a match made in heaven, but toward the end not even prayer could keep them together. The stormy marriage of national evangelist Juanita Bynum and Bishop Thomas W. Weeks III —- temporarily calmed by a night of passion —- was dissolved Friday in a Gwinnett County courtroom. Both Bynum and Weeks expressed relief and a measure of joy that their marriage, marked by an elaborate televised wedding, a high-profile ministry and a parking lot fight, was over. [Read More]