MC News
The first time Troy Fuller got caught he served 42 months on a robbery charge. During that time he learned the books of the Bible but he didn’t read the Bible.After he got out the lure of alcohol and drugs attracted him back into old habits and he found himself behind bars again. At the Oxford Federal Prison he started attending chapel services but he still didn’t read the Bible.Then one day he heard a fellow inmate quoting the Bible, and the scriptures got his attention.
Reporting from Chicago — A task force of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America recommended Thursday that its leaders officially recognize same-sex unions and allow gays in committed relationships to serve as clergy.At the same time, the task force asked members of the church to respect congregations and synods that disagree because they believe such actions would violate Scripture.Read more of this story. Lutherans Move to Allow Gay Clergy, Sort of – Religion News ServiceLutherans Weigh Making Gay Clergy a Local Decision – Associated Press
NEWS RELEASE MADISON—Wisconsin Family Action president Julaine Appling issued the following statement in reaction to Governor Jim Doyle’s budget proposal announced last evening."Governor Jim Doyle’s budget, as announced and released yesterday, puts Wisconsin on the wrong path. We have problems with a number of the items, as presented by the governor last night. However, no issue concerns us more than the plan to institute a statewide domestic partnership registry to be administered by the counties. Details of this social policy issue tucked within the fiscal budget seem to test Wisconsin’s marriage protection amendment.
Some Americans are more loyal to their toothpaste or toilet paper than to their religious denomination, making those consumers more choosy about Charmin or Colgate than they are about church, according to a new survey.According to a Phoenix-based research firm, 16% of Protestants say they would consider only one denomination, while 22% of them would use only one brand of toothpaste and 19% would use just one brand of bathroom tissue.Read more of this story.
HOT SPRINGS, Ark.—Rick Mann is a chaplain with horse sense. Every day, he ministers to people who make their living, and often their home, on the backstretch of Oaklawn Park racetrack. As the racing season begins, he’s one of the few people at the track not praying that he picked a winner. Instead he’s busy making sure the groomers, exercise riders and other track employees have a warm place to sleep, a Bible to read and whatever other support they need. Read more of this story.
Scott and Decker, both in their 30s, are what you might call gonzo missionaries. Armed with a video camera, a backpack and the faith that Jesus is the only way to heaven, they travel around the world in the hopes of converting "the unreached." That’s what they call native populations who have not heard the gospel. At the same time, they produce a show called "Travel the Road," which airs on the Trinity Broadcasting Network. Read more of this story.
How can a preacher avoid plagiarism in their sermons? Start with the Bible as their primary source for sermon preparation. And so far, nearly 5,500 pastors have affirmed their commitment to do so. Read more of this story.
America’s rural congregations, thinned by age and a population drain that plagues much of farm country, have gotten too small and too poor to attract pastors. No pastor means no church. Rural pastors are disappearing even faster than the general population, leaving graying congregations helpless in their time of greatest need.Read more of this story.
BEVERLY HILLS, CA (ANS) — The Annual Movieguide® study of what movies do best at the box office shows that moviegoers prefer movies with Christian, Biblical worldviews much more than movies mocking God, Jesus Christ or the Bible.According to the non-profit family guide to movies and entertainment’s 2009 Annual Report to the Entertainment Industry of 2008 movies, movies with very strong Christian, biblical and/or moral worldviews did five to 33 times better at the theatrical box office in America and Canada in 2008 than movies with very strong secular humanist, nihilistic, anti-Christian, and/or anti-biblical worldviews.Read more of this story. Winners…
To say that Jefferson County Judge Randy Koschnick is heading into the state Supreme Court race as an underdog would be an understatement.Koschnick’s religious credentials have yet to be widely reported. But with two months to go before the April 7 election, some evangelical church leaders say Koschnick’s religious convictions could make a difference in how they advise their church members.Read more of this story. CAPITAL CHAPLAINS HELPS STRESSED WORKERS – Wisconsin State JournalPRINCETON CLUB TENDS TO BODY AND SOUL – The Capital Times