News
Columbia Theological Seminary, in Decatur, Ga., has appointed the Rev. Stephen Hayner as president beginning on July 1. Hayner, who has taught at Columbia since 2003, has been an ordained minister in the PCUSA for 36 years.From 1988 to 2001, Hayner was president of Madison-based InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, a prominent evangelical campus ministry. Read more of this story.
WASHINGTON, DC (ANS) — In a world of corruption and injustice, a single courageous voice can tell a story that changes everything. This is what lies at the heart of the emotionally-charged movie THE STONING OF SORAYA M., written and directed by Cyrus Nowrasteh, a 1974 Madison West High School graduate. Read more of this story. "The Stoning of Soraya M." – Breakpoint Commentary by Chuck Colson
ON THE campaign trail, Barack Obama famously claimed that blue-collar workers in Pennsylvania clung to religion because of bitterness over lost jobs. Americans are now truly fearful, as unemployment has mounted and house prices fallen. Yet the theory that church attendance grows in times of economic crisis seems to be a myth.Read more of this story.
(UNDATED) When cartoonist Johnny Hart died more than two years ago, many feared that his strips of spiritually probing prehistoric cavemen and talking animals would become extinct.But this May, the Hart family bound his religion-themed "B.C." comics into a new collection, bringing Johnny’s Stone Age pals back to life.And they’re still causing controversy. Read more of this story.
A Wisconsin nonprofit aimed at bolstering the institution of marriage is working with local pastors to establish the first so-called community marriage agreements in Milwaukee and Waukesha.Under the pacts, participating congregations agree to impose waiting periods for couples, administer assessments to gauge relationships’ strengths and conflict potential, and offer training and enrichment programs before and after marriage.Supporters say such agreements benefit those religious communities and society as a whole."Our mission is to uphold the value of marriage and teach people the skills to form lifelong, healthy relationships," said Susan Dutton Freund, executive director of Green Bay-based Foundation for a Great…
Physical scars never completely go away—but neither do they continue to hurt. But emotional wounds from difficult or broken relationships never quite heal, and the hurt lingers for a lifetime.Read more of this story.
Nearly forty years into their respective careers, Christian music pioneers Randy Stonehill and Phil Keaggy have finally recorded a full length album together.Read more of this story.
James Dobson praised Miss California USA Carrie Prejean for preaching a sermon with her life. Miles McPherson, her pastor, compared her to Esther. Prejean claimed God chose her and trusted her to speak out. Even now that she has been stripped of her title, Prejean is on the talk show circuit talking about her beliefs. "When God is for you, no one can be against you," she told Larry King.I’ve been studying religion and beauty pageants for my Ph.D. dissertation, and even I’m still trying to wrap my head around the last two months of headlines. Nobody expected Prejean’s comments…
Imagine you’re at Focus on the Family to watch founder James Dobson formally step down from the board after three decades. The newly powerful ministry president—the micro-managerial Dobson is now officially powerless—steps to the mic and says: "What we want to see are more families like Barack Obama’s."Would never happen, right? Well, it already has.Read more of this story. Obama Talks Fatherhood – David Brody – CBN NewsWashington Post interview with Jim Daly
WASHINGTON — Conservative Christian leaders are fighting a bill that would provide federal hate-crimes coverage to gays and lesbians, prompting questions of who, if anyone, should be protected by such laws.Read more of this story.Immigration Debate Tied to Rise in Hate Crimes – Washington Post