Welcome to CBC’s Current Events page! With this page we attempt to capture current events that are happening around the world that are affecting the local, national and world wide family of God. Disclaimer – please be advised that Community Bible Church is not intending to take political affiliations with what is posted.

Tyler Perry’s Emotional Goodbye To Whitney Houston: The ‘Grace That Carried Her’ Down From Heaven Also Carried Her Home
Tyler Perry took to the podium at Whitney Houston’s funeral in New Jersey on Saturday, and the media mogul delivered an emotional – and encouraging – farewell to his friend, who he initially came to know over dinner in Atlanta. “We sat there talking for about an hour and a half, about four years ago. During this time…Read More

Bay Area Excited Over Sudden Rise Of Jeremy Lin
The sudden emergence of Jeremy Lin on the NBA scene has caused a stir across the country and brought a great amount of pride among those in the Bay Area who know him well. Fans are calling it “Linsanity” as the Palo Alto High School graduate has been the talk of the sports world. He became the starting point guard of the New York Knicks earlier this month and has posted amazing stats since…Read More

Lee Strobel: We’re on Cusp of Golden Era of Apologetics
Christians should understand that being able to give reasons for their faith is not merely an option – it’s biblically mandated, says apologeticsauthor and speaker Lee Strobel. To help Christians better explain and defend their faith, Strobel and ministry associate Mark Mittelberg have launched The Institute at Cherry Hills, an apologetics and evangelism ministry at Cherry Hills Community Church in Highlands Ranch, Colo. The institute is aimed at innovating new approaches to defending and sharing the faith…Read More

More Pastors Sign on to Preach Politics From Pulpit

This Sunday, more than 400 pastors will be using their pulpits to preach politics and challenge the Internal Revenue Service’s regulations that restrict religious leaders from endorsing candidates and discussing policies with their congregations. Oct. 2 is Pulpit Freedom Sunday, and this year Alliance Defense Fund and its supporters have quadrupled its participation from last year. Last year, 100 pastors committed to the event, but this year, registration lists are exploding, with 475 pastors who will participate in the event…Read More

Scholar Foresees Major Shift to Evangelical Center

The evangelical center is attracting more people and emerging as an influential voice of faith witness in American politics, says an evangelical scholar in his new book. Dr. David P. Gushee, author of The Future of Faith in American Politics: The Public Witness of the Evangelical Center, along with a panel of prominent evangelical leaders affirmed Tuesday what political pundits and pollsters have for some time observed – the rise of a new breed of evangelicals that is different from the “old guards” of the Christian right…Read More

Learning from Christopher Hitchens: Lessons Evangelicals Must Not Miss
The death of Christopher Hitchens on December 15 was not unexpected, and that seemed only to add to the tragedy.  His fight against cancer had been lived, like almost every other aspect of his colorful life, in full public view. He had told numerous interviewers that he wanted to die in an active, not a passive sense. Then again, there may never have been a truly passive moment in Christopher Hitchens’ life…Read More

Mark Driscoll Targets ‘Cowards’ of the British Church in Explosive Interview
He’s loved and loathed for his tough talk on the church in the 21st century, and this time he’s taking aim at Britain. Pastor Mark Driscoll has previously asserted that it’s time for Christianity to “man-up” and drop the image of Jesus as a long-haired man in a dress “drinking decaf and in touch with his feelings.” The Mars Hill pastor continues on a similar theme in an interview with the latest edition of Christianity Magazine in which he suggests that preachers need to become more like drill sergeants if they are to attract young men to church…Read More

Are Pastors Clear on What They Believe About Creation?
Although a large majority of pastors believe that God did not use evolution to create humans and think Adam and Eve were literal people, more teaching by Christian leaders on their beliefs about creation would help clear the air, said the president of LifeWay Research in reaction to his organization’s recent poll. LifeWay’s Ed Stetzer said that the poll of 1,000 American Protestant pastors also found that ministers are almost evenly split on whether the earth is thousands or millions of years old and suggests that there is ongoing debate over the creation account in Genesis…Read More

Twelve in 2012: Trends in Healthy Churches. Trends 7 to 12
In my article yesterday, I noted that the beginning of a new year inevitably brings a plethora of predictions, resolutions, and trends. I chose to follow that same pattern. I am thus providing twelve trends for 2012 in the healthiest churches we have observed. Remember the three caveats I noted. First, the trends are for healthy churches. They are not inclusive of all 400,000 American churches, much less the millions of churches around the world. Second, the trends are based on both detailed empirical research and anecdotal observations. In other words, I can point to some outstanding research projects for my conclusions in some cases. In other cases, I am simply expressing what I hope is an informed opinion. Third, the trends are not ranked in order of any priority…Read More

Most Ridiculous Lawsuit of 2011 Announced!
The U.S. has been the undisputed lawsuit capital of the world for some time. And while the courts play a central role in resolving disputes and maintaining a civil society, that function isn’t easy when they are packed with frivolous suits. Ridiculous lawsuits clog up our legal system’s dwindling resources, taking time away from legitimate grievances to devote to the vindictive, the hypocritical, the irresponsible, and the outright absurd. With that in mind, FacesOfLawsuitAbuse.org has compiled some of the most egregious examples of frivolous and abusive litigation from around the country and asked you to tell us which ones were the most ridiculous. These suits range from the comical and absurd to the disturbing, but they all underscore a real problem – lawsuits hurt businesses, families, and everyday Americans through lost time, money and job growth. So which lawsuits are the doozies this past year? First, here’s the lawsuit that you thought was the most ridiculous:

Convict sues couple he kidnapped for not helping him evade police. A man who kidnapped a couple at knifepoint while he was running from the police is now suing the victims, claiming that they promised to hide him in exchange for an unspecified amount of money. The plaintiff, currently in jail, is seeking $235,000 for the alleged “breach of contract.”

And here’s the rest of the top ten as determined by you who voted at FacesOfLawsuitAbuse.org:

Man suing for age discrimination says judge in his case is too old. A 60-year-old musician who is suing for age discrimination wants the judge removed from the case – because he’s too old. Ironically, the plaintiff says his fight against age-based discrimination is too important to leave in the hands of the 88-year-old judge.

Young adults sue mother for sending cards without gifts and playing favorites. The plaintiffs, now 20 and 23, claimed the mother “sometimes didn’t include gifts in cards sent to her children; played favorites with her children . . . did not send care packages until his sixth semester away at college . . . changed her surname, thus ‘causing attention’ at her daughter’s school events; and refused to buy her a homecoming dress.”

Obese man sues burger joint over tight squeeze in booths. A nearly-300 pound man is suing White Castle restaurants, saying that their booths are too tight to accommodate someone of his size. In fact, he’s so distraught by the booths that he hasn’t been to White Castle in months (instead, he sends his wife to pick up his burgers so he can eat them at home).

Woman sues over movie trailer; says not enough driving in ‘Drive’. A Michigan woman who claims she was misled by the trailers for the movie ‘Drive’ is suing the distributors of the film. She says she was disappointed by the lack of driving in the film and was expecting something more similar to the ‘Fast and Furious’ films.

Mom files suit against exclusive preschool over child’s college prospects. A New Yorkr is suing a private preschool, saying the school’s curriculum has seriously hurt her 4-year-old’s chances of getting into an Ivy League college.

Man sues bar for not disarming him before he started drinking (and fighting). A Pennsylvania man illegally brought a gun into a bar, then got injured in a drunken shootout with another patron, and now has sued the bar for not searching him for a weapon on his way in.

Passenger’s lawsuit says cruise ship was too fast. An Indiana woman is suing Carnival Cruise Line, claiming she got sick because the boat was going too fast and was swaying from side to side.

Woman disagrees with store over 80¢ refund, sues for $5m. A New York woman decided to make a $5 million federal case out of a disagreement over 80¢. Her suit says she used a $5-off coupon when she purchased a bevy of items for over $100. When she returned one of the items, the store pro-rated the refund to account for the discount.

Mother sues Chuck E. Cheese – says games encourage gambling in children. A California woman has filed a lawsuit against Chuck E. Cheese on the grounds that their games are actually an illegal form of gambling and could get kids hooked. She is seeking at least $5 million; the restaurant says the games are legal and has asked a judge to dismiss the suit.

The Year in Review: The Ten Leading News Stories of 2011
And thus 2011 comes to an end, like every year before it. The year came with its own surprises and controversies, tragedies and headlines. And, with the closing of the year, we find the need to put the year into some kind of historical perspective. We are chronological creatures, and the span of year is enough to require some…Read More

Jewish zealots strike fear in flashpoint Israel town
“We literally ran all the way back home,” some blocks away, Wortman, 18, said in an interview in Beit Shemesh, a flashpoint Israeli city near Jerusalem where tensions have flared over an increasingly assertive and aggressive sect of religious zealots. American immigrant Ayelet Wortman was walking with a male friend on a weekend afternoon when a black-cloaked ultra-Orthodox Jew grabbed him from behind, ripped his shirt, and called her a “whore.”…Read More

Nigerian leaders rapped after Islamists attack churches
Nigeria’s main opposition leader accused the government of incompetence on Monday after Islamist militants killed more than two dozen people in Christmas Day attacks on churches and other targets. Muhammadu Buhari, a northerner and former military ruler who lost a presidential election in April to incumbent Goodluck Jonathan, a Christian southerner, told a Nigerian daily that the government was slow to respond and had shown…Read More

North Korea Ripe for Revival After Kim Jong-il’s Death?
Christian persecution is unlikely to be curbed in North Korea following the death of Kim Jong-il, according to several advocacy organizations close to the situation.  Yet there remains hope that the period of transition could help prepare the communist country for a revival, both politically and spiritually…Read More

Christianity Is the World’s Largest Religion, Says Pew Forum Survey
A new study states that Christianity is the world’s largest religion with just over a third of the global population identifying themselves as Christian. The study was conducted by The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life and was titled “Global Christianity: A Report on the Size and Distribution of the World’s Christian Population.” …Read More

Supreme Court to Decide Outcome When Disability Law and Religious Freedom Collide
The U.S. Supreme Court recently heard oral arguments in a case that pits a teacher’s rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act against her employer’s right to the free exercise of religion. Cheryl Perich was a “called teacher” with tenure at a Lutheran elementary school in Michigan. Ms. Perich primarily taught math and science, but, as a called teacher, she was also responsible for some religious instruction and she led class prayers…Read More

US Marriages Plummet to All-Time Low: Could Christianity Be the Answer?
A new report by the Pew Research Center claims the number of married American adults plummeted to a record low during the 2009-2010 year. The study claims that the age at which Americans first marry has never been higher. It also revealed that there has been a five percent decrease in the number of new marriages between 2009 and 2010, a steep one-year drop that “may or may not be related to the sour economy,” …Read More

Palestinian Christians Call On Evangelicals For Action
In March 2012, a unique Christian International Conference will take place in Bethlehem, Palestine, titled: Christ at the Checkpoint – Hope in the Midst of Conflict. The conference is organized by Bethlehem Bible College in Palestine, an evangelical Christian institution, and it is the second time the College has hosted such a conference. It will be one of the biggest gatherings of evangelical Christians in the Middle East ever to take place…Read More

Fewer middle-income families in California
Just under half of California families were middle income in 2010, a new low reflecting the effects of high levels of unemployment and underemployment in recent years on a state whose middle-class was already shrinking, a report released on Thursday said. “By 2010, just less than a majority – 49.7 percent – of California’s families could be considered middle income, compared to 54.9 percent in the rest of the country,” the report by the Public Policy Institute of California said…Read More

Census shows 1 in 2 people are poor or low-income
Squeezed by rising living costs, a record number of Americans — nearly 1 in 2 — have fallen into poverty or are scraping by on earnings that classify them as low income. The latest census data depict a middle class that’s shrinking as unemployment stays high and the government’s safety net frays. The new numbers follow years of stagnating wages for the middle class that have hurt millions of workers and families…Read More

Syria: Christians Targeted, Fear the Future
Violent attacks against Christians by Muslim extremists in Syria have increased as the byproduct of the country’s volatile political situation, much like what has transpired in Egypt, said a persecution watchdog this week.Open Doors International officials say that while much of the world’s attention is focused on the Egyptian elections and American troops withdrawing from Iraq, the situation inside Syria is getting worse, especially for Christians…Read More

Folsom Company Moving To Texas, Citing California Costs, Red Tape
It’s official. Folsom-based company Waste Connections is moving out of California and headed to the state of Texas. The company, the collects solid waste, announced the move Monday morning saying it was relocating its headquarters to The Woodlands in Texas. Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Ronald J. Mittelstaedt told CBS13 the decision to move was based on two main factors. Although he called California home, he says the company needed to be more centrally located in the country…Read More

Christian Dating Site Grows by Nearly 2M Members in 2011
ChristianMingle.com, one of the top faith-based dating sites on the Web, announced Tuesday that it added two million members to its database of Christian singles this year, bringing its total number of registered members up to five million people. “Gone are the days when online dating was considered taboo – even in the Christian community,” Ashley Reccord, Christian community manager for Spark Networks, said in a statement. Spark Networks owns and operates Christian Mingle and other online dating sites “One of the amazing gifts of our age is that the internet can virtually erase many of the barriers to finding new relationships with people…Read More

3 Christian Pastors in Iran to Be Imprisoned? Ministry Warns of Increased Persecution
Three pastors have been called Monday to report to prison in Shiraz, a city in southwestern Iran, within the next 30 days in what is estimated to be an act of religious persecution. arviz Khalaj, Mohammed “William” Belyad and Behrouz Sadegh Khandjani are three pastors of a non-denominational house church, the Network for Church of Iran. They were charged with “crimes against national security” and sentenced in Spring 2011, Jason DeMars, founder of Present Truth Ministries, who spoke with members of the Iranian church, told The Christian Post Wednesday…Read More

Study Reveals Internet Evangelism Is Effective
Online evangelism is producing real disciples for Christ, according to a recent study. Over half of those who made a decision for Jesus over the Internet have subsequently shared their faith with others, Global Media Outreach’s study reveals. Additionally, 34 percent read their Bibles daily and nearly half pray for at least 10 minutes a day…Read More

Lowe’s pulls ads from TV show about US Muslims
A decision by retail giant Lowe’s Home Improvement to pull ads from a reality show about American Muslims following protests from an evangelical Christian group has sparked criticism and calls for a boycott against the chain. The retailer stopped advertising on TLC’s “All-American Muslim” after a conservative group known as the Florida Family Association complained, saying the program was “propaganda that riskily hides the Islamic agenda’s clear and present danger to American liberties and traditional values.” The show premiered last month and chronicles the lives of five families from Dearborn, Mich., a Detroit suburb with a large Muslim and Arab-American population…Read More

For Christian Men: The Lessons of Herman Cain
Herman Cain “suspended” his campaign for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination on Saturday, ending one of the most interesting political campaigns of recent years. Cain’s energy and ideas had catapulted him into the front ranks of Republican candidates, even though he had never previously run for any national political office. This unlikely candidate ran an unconventional campaign that collapsed under the weight of unusual developments. In a matter of minutes, it was over. “As of today, with a lot of prayer and soul searching, I am suspending my presidential campaign,” he stated. “Because of the continued distractions, the continued hurt caused on me and my family, not because we are not fighters. Not because I am not a fighter,” he said…Read More

Why Would the New Testament Writers Embarrass Themselves?
Christian author and speaker Dr. Frank Turek, speaking at Saddleback Church as part of its “Apologetics Weekend” series on Sunday, made a case for the truth of the New Testament by saying its authors would not have disclosed embarrassing details about themselves had they been lying about what transpired with Jesus. Turek, who authored I Don’t Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist and is a co-leader with other Christian apologetics …Read More

Christian Leaders: Politicians’ Affairs Are a Matter of Public Interest
Despite statements from Herman Cain’s lawyer that a person’s sexual life should not be questioned, Christian leaders contend that discerning voters do have an interest in and a right to know whether or not public officials are keeping their marriage vows. Family Policy Network Policy Analyst Alex Mason said character is what one does when no one is looking. The marriage covenant, Mason explained, is more sacred and important than any public office…Read More

Alexander Tsiaras: Conception to Birth — Visualized

Profile of Megachurches: Young, White, Still Growing
If megachurches were a denomination, they’d be the second largest Protestant group in the country, researchers say. With that, Leadership Network and Hartford Institute for Religion Research decided to take a closer look at the large churches (2,000 or more attendants) that draw a total of nearly 6 million worshippers in a weekend…Read More

New Atheist Holiday Ads Accuse Christians of Intolerance
The American Humanist Association fired the most recent salvo by unveiling its third annual holiday public awareness campaign Monday. Titled “Bias Against Atheists Is Naughty, Not Nice,” the nationwide media blitz runs until Monday and highlights alleged cases of discrimination against atheists and agnostics. “We want to challenge people who supposedly love their neighbor and apply that to us as well,” said Roy Speckhardt, AHA’s executive director. “These kinds of incidents are bubbling up more given a larger number of people are talking out loud about their lack of faith. Prejudice against any group limits our potential as a society.” Speckhardt said the ads show Santa Claus drafting his naughty list against those his organization asserts assault nonbelievers’ civil liberties. The provocative pictures are placed on billboards and newspapers in towns where acts of intolerance against atheists and agnostics have allegedly taken place. The campaign also includes smiling nonbelievers in Santa caps on D.C. metro buses proclaiming that those who “don’t believe in God” should “join the club.”…Read More

Beyond the Turkey: The Original … Original Thanksgiving
In modern America, Thanksgiving has come to be associated with many things: family gatherings, NFL games, and days off school all come to mind. And yet before all these things, before the National Football League, before the fourth Thursday in November became a national holiday, before the United States itself was an independent country, Thanksgiving existed – just in a different form…Read More

Most religious hate crimes are against Jews
About 1 in 5 hate crimes are religiously motivated, and American Jews continue to be the victims in the majority of those incidents, according to figures released Monday by the Federal Bureau of Investigations. The FBI has seen the number of bias crimes remain steady, with 6,628 reported in the U.S. last year. Of those, half had racial motivations, and about 20 percent dealt with religion…Read More

5 Myths on Why Young People Leave the Church
The Barna Group recently concluded a five-year study comprised of eight national studies, which was done on teenagers and young adults between the ages of 18 to 29. It found that nearly three out of every five young Christians (59 percent) disconnect from church life, either permanently or for a long period of time after the age of 15. Those polled were active in a Christian church during their teen years. The first myth researchers looked at through the study was the idea that “most people lose their faith when they leave high school.”…Read More

U.S. National Debt Surpasses $15,000,000,000,000
Two days before the U.S. House of Representatives is set to vote on a Balanced Budget Amendment to the Constitution, and one week before the “supercommittee” is supposed to propose a bill to reduce future deficits by at least $1.2 trillion, the national debt passed the $15 trillion mark. In addition to the over $15 trillion in current debt, the federal government has over $116 trillion in unfunded liabilities, according to USDebtClock.org. Unfunded liabilities are obligations that the federal government has committed to paying, but will not have the revenue…Read More

Francis Chan Helps Plant Churches in Apartment Buildings
The Tenderloin district of San Francisco is one square mile. There are 37,000 people in that one square mile living in 586 apartment buildings. And San Francisco City Impact wants to plant a church in every single one of those apartments. Francis Chan, author of Crazy Love and former pastor of Cornerstone Community Church, is working with the new initiative, called Adopt a Building. SFCI provides food, clothing and housing for those in the San Francisco area. Christian Huang, operations director for the new initiative, told The Christian Post that Adopt a Building is filling a need in the community that wasn’t being met before. It was the “missing component of City Impact,” he said. The idea is simple. First they pick a building and get a prayer team together to start praying for residents…Read More

Paws off, Junior, this cash is mine
Don’t expect a big inheritance from your boomer parents — even if they are rich. Less than half of millionaire boomers say that leaving money for their kids is a priority for them, according to a 2011 U.S. Trust study. But 64% of boomers say they plan to use their money to travel and more than one in three say they want to use it to “have fun.”…Read More

The Tragic Lessons of Penn State — A Call to Action
No one thought it would end this way. Joe Paterno, the legendary head football coach at Penn State University heard of his firing by the school’s board of trustees by phone last night. Just two weeks after achieving the most wins of any NCAA Division One football coach in history, Paterno was fired. His firing — a necessary action by the Penn State board of trustees — holds lessons for us all…Read More

Pastor’s corporal punishment advice scrutinized after child deaths
In recent years, several children have died after enduring extreme forms of corporal punishment from parents who had absorbed the controversial child-rearing advice of Tennessee pastor Michael Pearl. Now, the New York Times reports, Pearl himself is under fire. In their self-published book, To Train Up a Child, Pearl, 66, and his wife Debi, 60, recommend the systematic use of “the rod” to teach young children to submit to authority. They offer instructions on how to use a switch for hitting children as young as six months…Read More

Do You Know When You Were Saved?
October 27 is an important date for me. On that day, many years ago, I was a young kid walking alone under a starry sky in my hometown of Biloxi, Mississippi. I was grappling with who I was and what my life would mean. And there, looking up into the vault of space up there overhead, I trusted a Stranger in the Night to forgive me, and to take me wherever he wanted. The gospel wasn’t new to me, and the teachings of Jesus weren’t new to me. Years and years of Sunday school and Baptist Training Union and Vacation Bible Schools were all back there. But, somehow, I just knew at that moment that the central point of all those things was true: the gospel. It was as though I heard a voice. The reason I write this is because my story isn’t at all typical of most Christians I know, and many kind of feel guilty about that…Read More

Christian Apologist: Most Skeptics Doubt After Being Hurt by Church
Christian apologist Dr. Alex McFarland concluded after interviewing skeptics for his new book, 10 Answers for Skeptics, that most developed their skepticism due to bad personal experiences with organized religion. “Through nearly a year of research and numerous personal interviews, my goal was to really get ‘inside the mind of the skeptic,’” said McFarland in an interview with The Christian Post. “The most common type of skeptics I meet are wounded skeptics. They have been hurt by church, religion, or by another Christian,” added McFarland, who explained that “virtually all” the skeptics he talked to for this book came from a religious background…Read More

Episcopalian Church Membership Dips Below 2 Million
Although at one time a large and influential religious denomination in North America, a fact sheet published by The Episcopal Church shows that its membership has dipped below two million members. The survey of membership trends noted that in 2006 there were over 2.1 million “Active Baptized Members” in the church. By 2010, however, the number decreased to less than 1.96 million…Read More

Pornography in the Pew – A Hidden Sin (Part One)
White Ribbon Against Pornography Week kicks off Sunday, and with it comes a renewed push toward increasing awareness and providing solutions. The website pornharms.com has an entire section devoted to WRAP Week, and will air a live webcast Sunday on Internet Safety 101. The site is also giving away copies of Truth Behind The Fantasy of Porn: The Greatest Illusion on Earth, by Shelley Lubben, a former pornography star…Read More

Pornography in the Pew – A Christian Woman Tells Her Story (Part Two)
Many Christian wives find themselves pressed to explain their husband’s pornography addiction to their children. Many of them are hurting themselves, yet struggling with this issue of honoring their husband. They may even sit next to you at work. Pornography is such a hidden sin that its victims are often hidden as well. “You’re fearful to talk to anyone, fearful of embarrassment.” Rohr said…Read More

Young Hispanic Catholics Continue to Shift to Evangelical Churches
Perhaps hungry to assimilate into American culture, more second and third generation Hispanics raised as Catholics are finding the worship style of evangelical churches in the U.S. more to their liking and leaving the centuries old religion. Although the trend has been reported in the past, a recent National Public Radio (NPR) article points to the shift led by young Latinos as the major reason for the increasing numbers of U.S. Hispanics leaving the Catholic church…Read More

Are evangelicals dangerous?
Every four years, with every new presidential election cycle, public voices sound the alarm that the evangelicals are back. What is so scary about America’s evangelical Christians? Just a few years ago, author Kevin Phillips told intellectual elites to run for cover, claiming that well-organized evangelicals were attempting to turn America into a theocratic state…Read More

In the Danger Zone: Raising Our Children in the Age of the Screen
We are now the people of the screen. We are surrounded by screens, monitors, and other flickering devices, and each demands our attention. What began with the television has now spread to a host of other technologies. Our minds are increasingly shaped, entertained, informed, stimulated, and perhaps even altered by the Age of the Screen — and so are the minds of our children. The American Academy of Pediatrics, meeting this week in Boston, expressed concern about the effects of exposure to screens on children. Over a decade ago, the academy proposed that pediatricians should ask questions about screen exposure when conducting routine medical exams and evaluations. Just this week, the groups adopted a new set of guidelines, calling upon parents to put severe limits on the exposure of young children to television…Read More

Chuck Colson: Stop Quibbling Over Romney’s Mormonism
Evangelical bestselling author and speaker Chuck Colson said, in a Tuesday interview with The Christian Post, that Christians should not refrain from voting for someone because they are not a Christian, and recent public debates on the issue have harmed Christians’ witness to non-Christians. As long as a candidate holds the same values, their religion is not important when it comes to serving in office, according to Colson…Read More

Richard Dawkins Explains His Refusal to Debate Christian Apologist Craig
Richard Dawkins recently revealed why he refused to debate Christian apologist William Lane Craig, a Talbot professor who has on multiple occasions invited the famous atheist to discuss the rationality of faith and existence of God with him. Fear, among other things, was not one of the reasons behind his refusal, he stated on The Guardian UK, addressing accusations of cowardice from the public…Read More

Christianity on the Rise in Iran, Despite Fear and Intimidation
Christianity is growing in Iran despite intimidation, burnings and other concerted efforts to block its promotion, according to an Iranian Christian News Agency that claims Christianity is spreading among youth and families in the country. For those who have followed the case of Iranian pastor Youcef Nadarkhani, it is no surprise that the Islamic Republic of Iran holds a stern antipathy toward the embrace of Christianity. Still, its very own constitution speaks of respect and even tolerance for Christians and Christian worship…Read More

One in Four Believers Are ‘Christians in Name Only,’ According to Survey
Changing the Face of Christianity Inc., has released the results of a quiz designed to determine how well Christians live the teachings of Jesus Christ. Through the quiz, the organization found that one in four self-proclaimed Christians admit that they do not live according to Christ’s teachings. The anonymous assessment consisted of 10 multiple choice questions that returned a score to the participant at the end, which then indicated to that participant if he was ‘Far from Christ,” a “Worldly Christian,” “A Good Christian,” or a “Spiritually Mature Christian,”…Read More

Tithing Hits Record Low; Churches Spend More to Make Congregants Happy
Are churches spending more on themselves than on the needs of those outside the church? According to a new report they are, with churches keeping a larger share of their tithe-generated income for their own in-house needs. In a report, titled “The State of Church Giving Through 2009,”, authors found that “benevolences” – or funds used for giving outside the church – hit new lows compared to their first report in 1968…Read More

Fremont members vote to leave Presbyterian Church USA over gay minister
After the vote, some church members wiped away tears. Others said they were relieved it was finally over. Members of Fremont Presbyterian Church – the largest Presbyterian Church in the Sacramento region – ended months of speculation Sunday when they voted to leave their national denomination and join one that church leaders said reflects more traditional beliefs. By a vote of 427 to 164, members voted to seek dismissal from the Presbyterian Church USA and join the Evangelical Presbyterian Church…Read More

Calif. Poll Shows Most Americans Believe in Traditional Marriage
The California-based researcher behind a new poll showing that more than 60 percent of Americans believe marriage should only be between one man and one woman, said wording is key when asking Americans about gay marriage. Gary Lawrence, a political pollster and market researcher, recently released a poll that reveals Americans largely hold traditional religious views of marriage. The reason his poll uncovered strong support for marriage, while polls from groups like Gallup do not, he explained, is because he used explicit wording….Read More

California voters more cynical about ballot measures, Field Poll finds
As it hits its 100th birthday, California’s initiative process is losing its luster. But followers of Hiram Johnson’s landmark move toward direct democracy can take heart: the Legislature has even bigger problems…Read More

Egypt Christians Facing ‘Early Church’ Persecution, Says Reformed Theologian
An American theologian says violence in Egypt mirrors the persecution of Christians 2,000 years ago. “Coptic Christians and other believers in the Middle East must cling to the powerful truth of the risen Christ in these days as they possibly face the same persecution that Mark wrote about 2000 years ago,” wrote Dr. Michael A. Milton, chancellor-elect of Reformed Theological Seminary…Read More

Evangelical Leaders Meet President Obama at White House
President Barack Obama met leaders of the National Association of Evangelicals at the White House Wednesday, according to a White House aide. Obama met with the Executive Committee of the National Association of Evangelicals, which represents 45,000 churches from 40 denominations across the United States, in the Roosevelt Room at the White House…Read More

Mormonism, Democracy, and the Urgent Need for Evangelical Thinking
Predictably, Mormonism is in the news again. The presence of two members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints among contenders for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination ensured that it was only a matter of time before Evangelicals, along with other Americans, began to talk openly about what this means for the nation, the church, and the stewardship of political responsibility in the voting booth…Read More

Clashes in Egypt Kill 23 After Coptic Church Protests
Curfew was in force in Cairo Monday morning after deadly clashes left at least 23 dead and over 200 injured following protests by Coptic Christians against growing persecution. The casualties were reported Sunday night after Egypt’s military and police sought to quell peaceful protests by members of the country’s largest Christian denomination, Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria, against last week’s attack on a church in Aswan province…Read More

Steve Jobs 1955 – 2011
The death of Steve Jobs, founder and iconic leader of Apple, is a signal moment in the lives of the “Digital Generation,” which Jobs, along with a very few other creative geniuses, made possible. Few individuals of any historical epoch can claim to have changed the way so many people live their lives, do their work, and engage the products of the culture…Read More

Iranian Pastor Faces Death Penalty
Pastor Yousef Nadarkhani was charged with apostasy for supposedly converting from Islam as a teenager and was sentenced to death last week when he refused to renounce his beliefs before the Iranian Supreme Court. The international community, including the U.S. State Department, has expressed outrage at Iran’s blatant disregard for human rights and continued oppression of religious freedom…Read more

Fremont Presbyterian Members Begin Meetings on Possible Split From National Body
Members of Fremont Presbyterian Church, the largest Presbyterian congregation in the region, met Sunday to discuss whether they should break off from the national church and become the sixth congregation in the region to break away from Presbyterian Church (USA) to join the Evangelical Presbyterian Church…Read more

Readers Prefer Literal Bible Translations Over Common English, New Survey Shows
With several new English-language Bible translations that have been published in recent years — including ones that use gender-neutral and conversational language — it might be said that Americans are tired of reading the King James-style Bible of yore. But a survey of Bible readers released Friday says that Americans largely prefer literal translations of the books’ original Greek and Hebrew texts as opposed to ones that try to convey the intent of the original words…Read more

Supreme Court Rejects Ohio Judge’s Ten Commandments Appeal
After a three-month recess, the Supreme Court returned on Monday to start a new term, rejecting hundreds of cases, including an appeal by an Ohio judge who wanted to display a poster of the Ten Commandments in his courtroom. The justices let stand the ruling passed down by the lower courts that the religious document…violated the First Amendment Establishment Clause of the constitution…Read More

Harold Camping Update: Rapture Will ‘Probably’ Finish Oct. 21
Harold Camping, the Christian broadcaster who boldly announced that the world would end on May 21, only to later say that he was “flabbergasted” when the rapture did not occur, is now telling everyone to get ready for the real rapture, which is set to occur on Oct. 21 – probably…Read More

Persecution Sees 100,000 Christians Flee Egypt
Increased tension between Islam and Christianity has resulted in the emigration of 100,000 Christians from Egypt since March 2011, which commentators are saying will detrimentally affect Egypt’s demographic diversity and economic stability…Read More

My Take: Jesus would support Palestinian statehood bid
This article is written by Carl Medearis, an international expert in Arab-American and Muslim-Christian relations. He is also a dear brother in Christ, a true follower of our Lord. His views do not express what is the position of CBC and for another viewpoint please read the next article on this blog. “This week at the United Nations, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has promised to ask for recognition of a Palestinian state.”…Read More

Charisma News 3rd of October 2011 writes: Messianic Pastor Seeks Truth in Middle East Conflict
The pastor of Jerusalem’s largest Messianic congregation says the truth about the Palestinian Authority’s recent push for statehood isn’t being told—and he intends to change that…Read More