Author: Gordon Govier

While the House of Repre-sentatives hashed out their version of the 2007 Farm Bill two weeks ago, farmer Phil Flock prayed for rain.His corn, which primarily goes to feed about 70 dairy heifers and 60 cows, 15 head of beef and 16 sheep at his Cashton, Wis., farm, was beginning to curl from the dry summer.That night, rain fell.Read more of this story.Crop of Concerns – CHRISTIANITY TODAY

COMMENTARYIt’s always interesting when a cultural artifact becomes a cultural phenomenon. There was not a lot of initial promotion for the first Harry Potter book, and expectations were modest. But somehow word-of-mouth buzz moved the series past a tipping point, and Harry Potter became something larger. No longer was J. K. Rowling an unknown author laboring in obscurity. She became an international media celebrity, wealthier than the Queen of England, with millions of fans around the world clamoring for every word and detail about Harry.This makes me wonder—what would it look like if we saw comparable levels of Harry Potter…

Protestant churches are losing young adults in "sobering" numbers, a survey finds. Seven in 10 Protestants ages 18 to 30 — both evangelical and mainline — who went to church regularly in high school said they quit attending by age 23, according to the survey by LifeWay Research. And 34% of those said they had not returned, even sporadically, by age 30. That means about one in four Protestant young people have left the church. Read more of this story.

— There are no crosses in Makoto Fujimura’s paintings. No images of Jesus gazing into the distance, or serene scenes of churches in a snow-cloaked wood.Fujimura’s abstract works speak to his evangelical Christian faith. But to find it takes some digging.Read more of this story.

LONGWOOD, Fla. — At 8 on a Saturday morning, just as the heat was permeating this sprawling Orlando suburb, Denise Kirsop donned a white plastic moon suit and began sorting through the trash produced by Northland Church.Read the rest of this story.

Door Creek Church has adopted Schenk Elementary School on Madison’s East Side, committing to support its students and teachers materially, financially, and most importantly, with our time and energy. The needs at Schenk Elementary are great, and the exciting possibilities for Door Creek’s partnership are endless. Schenk is located in a neighborhood that is rapidly changing from predominantly middle-income to mostly lower-income. At the same time that schools across Madison have faced budget cuts, Schenk’s enrollment has increased dramatically, presenting special challenges to the teaching and administrative staff.

United States (MNN) — The India Children’s Choir of Bibles for the World is at the half-way point of this year’s tour. "These are really trophies of God’s grace–the fruit of missions, really," said Mawii Pudaite of Bibles for the World. The children are between ages 8-11 and are students from BFW’s missions schools in India. Most of them live in the hills of Manipur in Northeast India. Read more of this story.(The India Children’s Choir sang in Madison on Sunday.)

Walt Disney Productions has committed itself to The Chronicles of Narnia series, announcing that it will make all seven of the beloved books into featured films. Springboarding off the success of the debut film The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the company will attempt to release one movie a year starting in May ’08 with the next installment being Prince Caspian.Read more of this story.

One month after the Vatican reasserted its claim that the Catholic Church is the one true church, Milwaukee’s Catholic auxiliary bishop is about to find himself in what some might assume would be an uncomfortable position – addressing more than 1,000 Lutherans.Read more of this story.

FRONT ROYAL, VA (ANS) — Christians continue to be martyred abroad, but few American believers are aware of how pervasive religious persecution is around the world. “Christians in this nation don’t realize how fortunate they are to live in the U.S.,” observes Jim Jacobson, president of Christian Freedom International (CFI).Read more of this story.