Author: Gordon Govier

Not so long ago a father and mother dressed in their Sunday best would walk down the quiet streets to Sunday worship services. Following close behind were their children, so prim and proper. Their shoes had been polished the night before and did not have a speck of dust on them. The girls had colorful ribbons wrapped around so neatly in their hair.When they arrived at church and opened the door, the sound of the huge pipe organ drowned out their words. The hymn books were set neatly on the benches. Rows and rows of people joyfully sang their favorite songs, Amazing…

Indianapolis Colts head coach Tony Dungy, known for his strong Christian faith and his commitment to family, announced his retirement Monday afternoon, saying he wanted to spend more time with his family and in volunteer work.“We just felt this was the right time,” Dungy said. “Don’t shed any tears for me. I got to live a dream most people don’t get to live.”Dungy, 53, told his staff and some players on Monday morning after taking a week to discuss his options with his wife, Lauren. He will be succeeded by associate head coach Jim Caldwell.Dungy coached the Colts for seven…

Mark Driscoll’s sermons are mostly too racy to post on GodTube, the evangelical Christian “family friendly” video-posting Web site. With titles like “Biblical Oral Sex” and “Pleasuring Your Spouse,” his clips do not stand a chance against the site’s content filters. No matter: YouTube is where Driscoll, the pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle, would rather be.Read more of this story.

Just reaching a 95th birthday is cause for celebration for most people. But retired Madison pastor Dick Pritchard would be satisfied with nothing less than some stimulating conversation, followed by cake and coffee. Pritchard, a Madison activist since the Civil Rights era of the 1960’s, sponsored a symposium on Christians and culture Sunday afternoon.Pritchard has been involved in public dialogue on Christians and culture longer than perhaps anyone else living in Madison. He said that he once debated Capital Times founder William Evjue over whether the United States was a Christian nation.Joining in the conversation with pastor Pritchard were Julaine…

Pete Hammond was probably better known nationally than he was here in the Madison area, where he lived for most of the past 25 years. He retired in 2007 following a 41-year career with Madison-based InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. He died in his home on December 29, 2008. A large crowd attended the memorial service held yesterday at Christ Presbyterian Church.Alec Hill, the president of InterVarsity, noted that although Pete was a golfer, he didn’t keep score. That exemplified his personal relationships with others. "He did not expect reciprocity," he said, adding "We loved his passion for Jesus."

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (BP)–With four older children, Pam Tebow, whose father was an Army colonel, was used to setting boundaries, issuing orders and choosing her battles by the time "Timmy" was born in 1987.No worries, though. Tim Tebow, the 21-year-old University of Florida quarterback and the first sophomore to win the Heisman Trophy, has been "obedient and teachable and kind," according to his mom.The proud mom and other members of the Tebow clan were in Miami’s Dolphin Stadium Thursday night to watch the Gators win their second national championship in three years. Tebow threw two touchdown passes and was named the…

Madison firefighters and employees of Madison Gas & Electric are investigating the cause of a Thursday morning explosion at God’s House of Hope, a church located at the corner of Jenifer and Ingersoll streets in Madison.Read more of this story.

RICHMOND, Va. (BP)–No Christians in Gaza have been injured despite living in hard-hit areas, a Baptist pastor there reported to Baptist Press late in the afternoon Jan. 6.News staff at Christianity Today, meanwhile, were reporting three Christians have died since the hostilities began in Gaza Dec. 27 but Baptist Press has not yet independently confirmed the circumstances of those deaths. One death was attributed to a heart attack but no supporting information was provided about the deaths of the other two individuals named.Read more of this story. Broadcasting Prayers of Peace for the Middle East – ASSIST NEWS SERVICE

MADISON — In response to plans by University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics (UWHC) to perform second-trimester abortions, all are invited to a prayer and protest rally outside the Madison Surgery Center, 1 S. Park St., Madison, at 8 a.m. on Thursday, Jan. 8.Read more of this story.

An Elm Grove congregation is the first in Wisconsin to announce it will split from the Episcopal Church in the United States to align with a more conservative, rival province being formed in North America.Wednesday’s announcement by St. Edmund’s Episcopal Church comes less than a month after a group of breakaway dioceses and parishes announced that they were forming a new, more theologically conservative North American province. Those churches have been angered by the liberal views of the U.S. Episcopalian and Canadian Anglican churches.Read more of this story.