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Tens of thousands of Lutheran teenagers have flocked to New Orleans this week not merely for worship and fellowship, but for building hope and promoting justice. During the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Youth Gathering, about 12,000 young people are being loaded onto buses and taken to service projects all across the New Orleans metropolitan area each day.Their theme is "Jesus, Justice, Jazz," drawn from the history and culture of the city.Read more of this story.

Madison — Supporters of Wisconsin’s ban on same-sex marriage and civil unions have asked the state Supreme Court to declare a system of recognizing domestic partnerships unconstitutional.Under a provision that was part of the budget Gov. Jim Doyle signed in June, couples will be able to apply for a declaration of domestic partnership with their county of residence starting next month.Read more of this story.RELATED LINKS:Wisconsin Family Action Media PageBAPTIST PRESS–3 suits aim to force ‘gay marriage’ on U.S.Editorial – Even in Madison, politicians can’t ignore the constitution – Beloit Daily News

A series of nightly meetings, supported by three dozen Madison area churches, began last night with a message on "Jesus the Overcomer" from professor Brian White. Brian White is a professor of English Education at Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids University.Tom Flaherty, who introduced Brian White, is pastor of Mad City Church and organized this series of nightly meetings. He invited support from evangelical churches in the Madison area, and reported that the pastors of 35 churches have united to bring these meetings with the theme of "Freedom in Christ" to Madison. Brian White will be speaking all…

As we remember the first men on the moon, let’s not forget the first supper on the moon — the Lord’s Supper, served and received by an elder in the Presbyterian Church, Apollo 11 astronaut Eugene ‘Buzz’ Aldrin.Read more of this story.

Camp Tamarack on the chain of lakes near Waupaca offers everything you’d expect of a Wisconsin summer camp experience – swimming and canoeing, baseball and volleyball, creative diversions in the craft barn.But the real business of Tamarack takes place at morning worship and Bible study, or nights around the fire when the building of a s’more just might segue into a discussion of faith.Read more of this story.

DENVER, Colo. – A youth pastor for ten years, Jim Britts has seen a lot of hurting teens.Whether their parents are going through a divorce, they’re cutting their wrists or contemplating suicide, many teens – even in youth groups – are silently crying out for help.So Britts teamed up with Outreach, Inc., to get their story out through one of the most influential communication tools today – film.Set to release next year, "To Save A Life" is an indie movie depicting the real-life challenges of teens and their choices. Read more of this story.

Oshkosh – A sea of mostly young bodies crowds the stage at the Sunnyview Expo Center.Jon Micah Sumrall, frontman for the band Kutless, takes the microphone and atop a bone-rattling bass exhorts the throng "to know that you’re alive." And they go wild – jumping, dancing, arms pumping in the air.From the look and sounds of this hard-playing, leather-clad, pierced and tattooed band, this could be any rock concert anywhere. But these fans are here as much for the message as the music.Read more of this story.

Even before Barack Obama was elected president, religious figures loomed large in his political career. The greatest threat to his presidential campaign came not from another candidate but from his longtime pastor, Jeremiah Wright, whose controversial sermons prompted questions about Obama’s judgment in associating with him. After Election Day, the first big controversy of the Obama era was the president-elect’s invitation to evangelical preacher Rick Warren, an opponent of abortion rights and gay marriage, to give the opening prayer at his inauguration. And Obama has offered religious leaders an unusually prominent role in his administration by convening an advisory council…

Gallup came out with a new poll today on the relation between marriage and which political party people identify with. Not surprisingly, a higher percentage of married people identified themselves as Republican than Democrats, while on the flip side, a higher percentage of unmarrieds identified themselves as Democrat than Republican.They’ve done this poll before (last year on Valentine’s day). What’s interesting though are the author’s notes about how religion plays into it all.Read more of this story. Marriage stands up for itself – New York Times

It’s a cliche but it’s true, prayer changes things. Students involved in InterVarsity and other Christian groups on the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW) campus spent 40 days praying in a 24/7 prayer room and have been awed by how they have seen God at work.Read more of this story.