Author: Gordon Govier

MADISON, Wis. — Opposing sides of the debate over gay marriage gathered at the state Capitol Tuesday for two separate rallies.More than 300 people showed up in support of gay marriage rights, demonstrating against the group National Organization for Marriage.The National Organization for Marriage is hosting rallies around the country ahead of stops in Washington, D.C., next month.

A prominent traditional marriage group is about half way through its 23-city tour to call on Americans to defend the definition of marriage as between one man and one woman.The National Organization for Marriage, founded in 2007 amid state battles on the definition of marriage, has so far visited ten cities on its bus tour called the “Summer for Marriage Tour 2010: One Man One Woman.” By the end of this week, NOM will have completed another five cities, including Madison today.

CommentaryThe entertainment industry is in the full throes of the changing of the generations; films and television are beginning to reflect the visions of Generation Xers like Jason Reitman, (Up in the Air), Judd Apatow, (Knocked Up), Brad Byrd (Up, The Incredibles), and other young artists who dare to buck the tired irony-cool cynicism that has shaped and stifled too much of the culture. Suddenly, after decades of being shut out, minimized, or mocked, film characters have room in their lives for optimism, and even something almost like faith. The Church, if it seeks to be relevant in the future,…

Bishop Munib A. Younan of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL) has been elected president of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) by the church body’s highest legislative body.The LWF’s 11th Assembly voted Saturday for the successor to Presiding Bishop Mark S. Hanson of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, who has been LWF president since the organization’s last assembly in Winnipeg, Canada, in 2003.

Financial advisers, researchers, and other observers weigh in on whether churches should increase their operating budgets next year.

WASHINGTON (RNS) When conservative broadcaster Glenn Beck warned churchgoers to “run as fast as you can’’ if their pastors preach about “social justice,’’ was he also encouraging them to run from the Bible? That’s what some progressive Christian leaders are arguing as battle lines are drawn for the 2010 mid-term elections. They say Beck and his Tea Party followers are, in a word, unbiblical.

ALBANY, Ga. — Praise the Lord and pass the popcorn. Moviemaking churches are venturing into the cineplex to attract souls who might never set foot in a megachurch. Like Hollywood films, they take on real-life issues in dramatic packages.

At a time when the prospects for immigration overhaul seem most dim, supporters have unleashed a secret weapon: a group of influential evangelical Christian leaders. Normally on the opposite side of political issues backed by the Obama White House, these leaders are aligning with the president to support an overhaul that would include some path to legalization for illegal immigrants already here. They are preaching from pulpits, conducting conference calls with pastors and testifying in Washington — as they did last Wednesday.

A recent Barna Group study shows that Christian teens from the U.S. are less and less enthusiastic about sharing their faith. Information on the study released last week provided evidence that "among born again Christian teenagers, the proportion who said they had explained their beliefs to someone else with different faith views in the last year had declined from nearly two-thirds of teenagers in 1997 (63%) to less than half of Christian teens in the December 2009 study (45%)." Not only does it appear that evangelism among teens is in danger, but the study also noted that Christian teenagers are…

The numbers are in and the results aren’t exactly shocking – people like free stuff.Saturday’s series of giveaways by Madison’s Asbury United Methodist Church brought out hundreds of people to three locations.The church handed out more than 1,300 free burgers and cheeseburgers in five hours at a Middleton Sonic drive-in restaurant, said the Rev. TyLacey Hines, associate pastor.