MC News
"Thomas Jefferson counted the freedom of worship as one of America’s greatest blessings. He said it was ‘a liberty deemed in other countries incompatible with good government, and yet proved by our experience to be its best support.’ On Religious Freedom Day, we celebrate the 1786 passage of the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom.Read more of this story. Public Schools Largely Ignore Presidential Calls to Celebrate Religious Freedom Day
New College Madison (NCM) is holding a conference next weekend (January 25 & 26) entitled "C.S. Lewis and the Challenge of the 21st Century." A line-up of nationally known speakers will be presenting, including actor Tom Key, Gilbert Meilaender of Valparaiso University, David Downing of Elizabethtown College and Crystal Downing of Messiah College.NCM executive director Vern Visick explains the need to refocus on C.S. Lewis in this way: During the last part of the 20th century, C. S. Lewis was for many an important defender, interpreter, and exemplar of Christian faith in dialogue with a weakening and fallen world. Can…
On this Wednesday last year, Brent Hopkins and I drove his Civic (not my Civic) out I-15 to Las Vegas for the annual AVN Adult Entertainment Expo. I am fairly certain that will be the only time I spend 20 hours over two days at a porn convention. My excuse was that I was writing a big story about adult-industry Christian ministries for the LA Daily News’ then-upcoming porn series.Read more of this story.
Christians from evangelical, charismatic and Pentecostal movements have united across the country to fast and pray for a spiritual awakening in the United States this month.The first event this year is “21 Days for A New Awakening,” a 21-day national fasting that began Jan. 1. Thousands of people have already signed up to join the nationwide fast, organized by Awakening America Alliance (AAA), in which participants can choose a variety of ways to participate.Read more of this story.
FRANKLIN, Tenn. (BP)–"A lot of people will say, ‘This guy knows the whole Bible.’"Well, I really don’t," Rollin DeLap admits. "The reason they say that is because most people have memorized so little" of "the Word of God."Read more of this story.
The reputations of many Roman Catholic parishes have been tarnished in recent years, both by the priest sex-abuse scandals and a growing number of embezzlement cases. That has prompted a burgeoning movement to improve the management and leadership skills of church officials through new programs being offered primarily at Catholic universities.Read more of this story.
A new survey of U.S. adults who don’t go to church, even on holidays, finds 72% say "God, a higher or supreme being, actually exists." But just as many (72%) also say the church is "full of hypocrites."Indeed, 44% agree with the statement "Christians get on my nerves."LifeWay Research, the research arm of the Southern Baptist Convention, based in Nashville, conducted the survey of 1,402 "unchurched" adults last spring and summer. Read more of this story.
For many American exporters, the weak dollar is good news. As the dollar’s value falls, U.S. made-products become cheaper, which could give them a boost overseas, said David Parsley, professor of management at Vanderbilt University’s Owen Graduate School of Management."If you are a U.S. exporter, it’s a good time," Parsley said.That is, unless you are in the faith business. Read more of this story.
Back when he pastored a small church in Southern California, Richard Foster was a desperate man. Many in his congregation struggled with life, were just out of prison or were recovering from drug addiction. He tried to help in every way he knew, but still failed. So Foster turned to spiritual masters of the distant past, compiling their wisdom into a series of spiritual disciplines, from prayer and meditation to fasting, service and solitude. And then he experimented on his troubled congregation. Read more of this story.
Faith plays a lively role in American life, from evangelicals helping give Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee victory in the Iowa caucuses this week to disputes over religion in public schools, and a new public television series is focusing on a key ingredient in that mix – prayer.Read more of this story.