Author: Gordon Govier

CLERMONT, Fla. — Jason Russell, a fitness buff, had long found it difficult to combine his Christian faith with his job as a gym manager, which required him to be around women in spandex and men concerned only with how macho they are. “Me being a single guy and trying to walk the Christian line, it was difficult,” said Mr. Russell, 30. “I needed not only to protect myself, but as a leader, to help others with their spiritual journey.” Mr. Russell had been planning to open a gym of his own. Then he discovered Lord’s Gym, a 10,000-square-foot fitness…

WASHINGTON — As world leaders continue wrestling over what to do about the spiraling global food crisis, the former U.S. ambassador for humanitarian issues says he worries that Americans "have not yet developed the political and spiritual will" to adequately tackle the situation.Read more of this story.

WASHINGTON — Mitt Romney and his Mormon faith. Mike Huckabee and his "Christian leader" ads. John McCain and John Hagee. Hillary Clinton and her "prayer warriors." Barack Obama and Jeremiah Wright.To put it mildly, the 2008 election has featured an extraordinary emphasis on religion.Read more of this story.

Words of Hope bookstore at 4112 Monona Drive has "Going Out of Business" signs in the windows. Owner Al Huizenga says he’ll be open for another week and a half and then the doors will close for good.In 1981, just out of seminary, Huizenga moved to Madison and purchased the One Way Bookstore on Monroe Street, a few blocks from Camp Randall stadium.

ST. LOUIS — Southern Baptists, as a rule, do not drink. But once a month, young congregants of the Journey, a Baptist church here, and their friends get together in the back room of a sprawling brew pub called the Schlafly Bottleworks to talk about the big questions: President Bush, faith and war, the meaning of life, and “what’s wrong with religion.”“That’s where people are having their conversations about things that matter,” the Rev. Darrin Patrick, senior pastor and founder of the Journey, said about the talks in the bar. “We go where people are because we feel like Jesus…

Church goers on Madison’s east side were giving. Not just from their hearts, but also from their feet.Jeff Hubrecht and his son Cameron are worshiping in socks -giving their shoes to those who really need them.Read more of this story.

Madison-area Christians will join Christian communities around the country again this fall to partake in a 40-day, around-the-clock prayer vigil outside Planned Parenthood. Madison’s 40 Days for Life is seeking volunteers and participants interested in helping bring an end to abortion. Participants sign up for shifts of one to four hours. They can sign up for a single time or on a weekly basis, fasting and peacefully praying outside Planned Parenthood. The 24-hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week prayer vigil begins September 24th and runs through November 2nd.

East Troy – Good things have happened since Chad James got the Hell out of his name.He was making his first professionally recorded CD in Nashville last summer when the producer suggested that using his family name – Hell – might not be the best marketing move for a Christian musician.Read more of this story.

Wisconsin’s gay marriage ban does not violate the state’s constitution, Dane County Circuit Judge Richard Niess ruled Friday.In his decision, Niess said the two questions contained in the constitutional amendment "are two sides of the same coin. They clearly relate to the same subject matter" — the preservation of marriage. Niess rejected the argument by plaintiff William McConkey that the amendment violated a constitutional prohibition against a referendum posing more than one question to voters.Read more of this story.News Release from Wisconsin Family Council (PDF)

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)–More than two years after National Geographic released a book and aired a documentary about the gospel of Judas asserting that the biblical traitor really was a hero, an increasing number of scholars are now casting doubts on the controversial claim.Read more of this story.