Doctors' panel won't rule on 'miracles' at Lourdes The panel will no longer judge whether pilgrims to the French shrine could have benefited from "miracle" healing — a huge shift from the centuries-old way of deciding what makes the cut as a divine cure.
Thomas Nelson eliminates 55 jobs Nashville-based Christian book publisher Thomas Nelson laid off 55 employees on Tuesday, as religious book sales continue to dwindle. (The Tennessean)
Priest clarifies meaning of Obama letter The Rev. Joseph Illo, pastor of Modesto's St. Joseph's Catholic Church, wants to make this clear: He never told his parishioners that if they voted for Barack Obama, they needed to go to confession (The Modesto Bee)
Todd Bentley Controversy Continues A letter, released Friday on Fresh Fire Ministries' Web site, broke months of silence about Bentley’s status. (The Ledger, Florida)
One Nation Under God - Post Mortem The pastor who promoted adding 'under God' to the Pledge of Allegiance was actually not a conservative. (Matt Schudel, The Washington Post)
Thomas Nelson eliminates 55 jobs Nashville-based Christian book publisher Thomas Nelson laid off 55 employees on Tuesday, as religious book sales continue to dwindle. (The Tennessean)
Todd Bentley Controversy Continues A letter, released Friday on Fresh Fire Ministries' Web site, broke months of silence about Bentley’s status. (The Ledger, Florida)
Broader medical refusal rule may go far beyond abortion The Bush administration plans a new 'right of conscience' rule that would allow more workers to refuse more procedures. Critics say it could apply to artificial insemination and birth control. (Los Angeles Times)
Deadly Nigeria Clashes Subside Soldiers recently wrested control of the streets from armed Christian and Muslim gangs that had roamed the city, in the worst religious violence Nigeria has seen in four years (The New York Times)
Religion shaped 2008 in big, dramatic ways Barack Obama may have chosen Joe Biden, and John McCain may have turned to Sarah Palin, but in the end the most sought-after running mate in the 2008 campaign never appeared on a single ballot. (Religion News Service)
A Political Place For Evangelicals Lian Hansen interviews the NAE's Rich Cizik and Esperanza's Luis Cortez about the political direction of American evangelicals--white and hispanic. (NPR)
Inquiry Set on Mormon Aid for California Marriage Vote California officials will investigate accusations that the Mormon Church neglected to report nonmonetary contributions on behalf of a ballot measure to ban same-sex marriage. (The New York Times)
Awash in New Light, Angels Are Revealed at St. John the Divine The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine was rededicated on Sunday during a three-hour service filled with pageantry, dance and the booming chords of its restored organ (The New York Times)
Priest clarifies meaning of Obama letter The Rev. Joseph Illo, pastor of Modesto's St. Joseph's Catholic Church, wants to make this clear: He never told his parishioners that if they voted for Barack Obama, they needed to go to confession (The Modesto Bee)
One Nation Under God - Post Mortem The pastor who promoted adding 'under God' to the Pledge of Allegiance was actually not a conservative. (Matt Schudel, The Washington Post)
Another debate about God roils Capitol's new Visitor Center Protests by conservative lawmakers led architects to promise to add 'In God We Trust' as the national motto and to engrave the Pledge of Allegiance in the new $621 million Capitol Visitor Center. (McClatchy Newspapers)
Oklahoma: Bill targets religious discrimination in schools The bill allows students to express religious viewpoints in the classroom or in assignments without discrimination and prohibits students from being penalized or rewarded for the religious content of their work. (Joplin Globe)
Religion shaped 2008 in big, dramatic ways Barack Obama may have chosen Joe Biden, and John McCain may have turned to Sarah Palin, but in the end the most sought-after running mate in the 2008 campaign never appeared on a single ballot. (Religion News Service)
Let the Biblical Times Roll Before she moved to Israel, Hannah Trasher used to be a professional fashion designer. Today, she spends most of her days dressed up as an ancient Israelite, sporting sandals, a robe and a turban-like head wrap. (Haaretz)
A Literate Church The state of Catholic Bible study today. (David Gibson, America magazine)
Another debate about God roils Capitol's new Visitor Center Protests by conservative lawmakers led architects to promise to add 'In God We Trust' as the national motto and to engrave the Pledge of Allegiance in the new $621 million Capitol Visitor Center. (McClatchy Newspapers)
Government giveaway, religious Web site separated El Paso County may have tiptoed to the line separating church and state in promoting a Christmas giveaway the Department of Human Services is hosting for its clients with the help of an evangelical group. (Colorado Springs Gazette)
Judge: Suit against Green Bay diocese can proceed A lawsuit filed by two sexual abuse victims against the Green Bay Catholic Diocese survived a test Monday when a judge ruled it may proceed under fraud statutes. (Associated Press)
Todd Bentley Controversy Continues A letter, released Friday on Fresh Fire Ministries' Web site, broke months of silence about Bentley’s status. (The Ledger, Florida)
Evangelical group sues Haverford district over fliers Child Evangelism Fellowship filed suit against the Haverford Township School District in late October after the district refused to distribute fliers promoting the group's after-school Good News Club. (Philadelphia Inquirer)
A Brief History of the Salvation Army The Salvation Army has a devoutly religious mission, rooted in its founding in 1865 by an evangelical protestant minister (and former pawn broker) named William Booth. (Time magazine)
Spreading gospel in big pants Sid Teske has taken his Christian clowning skits around the world - to Poland, Russia, Latvia, Germany and Mexico, besides many stops in the United States. (McClatchy Newspapers)
A Brief History of the Salvation Army The Salvation Army has a devoutly religious mission, rooted in its founding in 1865 by an evangelical protestant minister (and former pawn broker) named William Booth. (Time magazine)
The Secret Weapon Religious Abuse in the ‘War on Terror’ (Michael Peppard, Commonweal)
Bishops Call Obama-Supported Abortion Rights Bill a Threat to Catholic Church The nation's Catholic bishops Tuesday approved a statement declaring that if the Democratic-controlled Congress and the incoming Obama administration enact proposed abortion rights legislation, they would see it as an attack on the church. (Washington Post)
Abortion Foes' Dilemma: Confront or Cooperate? After making significant gains during the Bush administration, the anti-abortion movement was dealt sharp setbacks in last week's election with the defeat of three state ballot measures restricting abortion. (Wall Street Journal)
Obama's Call to Change - What Is Everyone Waiting For? The President Elect could set loose his army right now to start bringing about the change he promised — by working for local nonprofit groups and causes. (Lawrence Downs, The New York Times)
A Literate Church The state of Catholic Bible study today. (David Gibson, America magazine)
Holy Cow! What my 3,000-pound steer has taught me about faith. (Jon Katz, Slate)
Grace links food and faith Saying grace might be more likely at a big family Thanksgiving dinner than in everyday life, but evangelical pastor Brady Boyd sees a renewal in mealtime prayer offerings in these uncertain economic times. (The Denver Post)
Occult politics and economy in Nigeria The Church which would have helped had long been "bewitched" as evidenced by strange teachings and practices completely outside the Word as it is written. (Ekeng A. Anam-Ndu, The Daily Triumph)
Out of this world The transcendental effects of silence. (The Economist)
Thomas Nelson eliminates 55 jobs Nashville-based Christian book publisher Thomas Nelson laid off 55 employees on Tuesday, as religious book sales continue to dwindle. (The Tennessean)
College May Become Unaffordable for Most in U.S. The rising cost of college threatens to put higher education out of reach for most Americans, according to the annual report from the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education. (The New York Times)
Seminaries tighten their belts Seminaries in the 250-member Association of Theological Schools will likely be looking for ways to cut costs next year, said ATS executive director Daniel Aleshire in an interview. (The Christian Century)
Clergy brace for downturn in giving The next few weeks, between Thanksgiving and New Year's, will be a key indicator of how dramatically the nation's financial crisis will affect religious organizations. (The Boston Globe)
A Decision of the Heart Daniel Cere reviews Called Out of Darkness, Anne Rice's spiritual confession. (America)
Thank the Lord Mark Lawson on why artists can't resist the lure of Christianity. (The Guardian, London)
What Happy People Don't Do Happy people spend a lot of time socializing, going to church and reading newspapers — but they don’t spend a lot of time watching television, a new study finds. (The New York Times)
One Nation Under God - Post Mortem The pastor who promoted adding 'under God' to the Pledge of Allegiance was actually not a conservative. (Matt Schudel, The Washington Post)
Disgraced pastor returns, as Christian businessman While his exact plans remain unclear, Haggard is unmistakably making himself a public figure again, nine months after his former church said he walked away from an oversight process meant to restore him (Associated Press)
In Va., a Powerful and Polarizing Pastor A Loudoun minister inspires loyalty from followers, anger from ex-members with torn lives and moral pain (Washington Post)
A new twist on the "Is Obama a Christian?" debate The “Is Obama a Christian?” discussion is starting up again, this time not by people who suspect he’s a Muslim but those who think he’s a phony follower of Jesus Christ. (Reuters FaithWorld)
Thomas Nelson eliminates 55 jobs Nashville-based Christian book publisher Thomas Nelson laid off 55 employees on Tuesday, as religious book sales continue to dwindle. (The Tennessean)
Gay Bible angers Christians A gay version of the Bible, in which God says it is better to be gay than straight, is to be published (The Guardian)
Mainstream Houses Market Christian Fiction They're finding it makes economic sense to market books with Christian undertones to a mainstream market—even if the company has a faith-oriented imprint in-house. (Publishers Weekly)
2 Italian Catholic nuns kidnapped in Kenya The nuns had been working in Kenya for decades and were among the few non-Muslims in town, the Catholic Information Service said. They ran a small dispensary and offered medical care to malnourished children. (Associated Press)
Kenya: Kenyans anticipate Obama victory At Obama's ancestral home in Kogelo, a number of activities were lined up for Monday through to Wednesday, among them a a thanks giving prayer and sporting activities. (Afrique en ligne)
Missionary couple share ordeal A missionary couple who survived a ruthless assault in Kenya this summer say they can raise up to $200,000 to start a new orphanage through a speaking tour. (Canwest News Service)
Kenyan pastors on their country's travails Christians in Kenya and elsewhere [in the Continent of Africa] were caught asleep at the wheel concerning their Christian duty and witness. (Presbyterian News Service and Dallas Morning News)
College May Become Unaffordable for Most in U.S. The rising cost of college threatens to put higher education out of reach for most Americans, according to the annual report from the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education. (The New York Times)
Evangelical group sues Haverford district over fliers Child Evangelism Fellowship filed suit against the Haverford Township School District in late October after the district refused to distribute fliers promoting the group's after-school Good News Club. (Philadelphia Inquirer)
Oklahoma: Bill targets religious discrimination in schools The bill allows students to express religious viewpoints in the classroom or in assignments without discrimination and prohibits students from being penalized or rewarded for the religious content of their work. (Joplin Globe)
Longtime Calvin College president William Spoelhof dead at age 98 Dr. Spoelhof was in charge of managing the rapid growth of the college in a post-World War II era and maintaining a balance between a conservative church and the sometimes volatile campus atmosphere of the '60s and '70s. (Grand Rapids Press)
Subscribe to Christianity Today and get 3 free trial issues. No credit card required.
Please allow 4-6 weeks for delivery. Offer valid in U.S. only.
If you decide you want to keep Christianity Today coming, honor your invoice for just $19.95 and receive nine more issues, a full year in all. If not, simply write "cancel" across the invoice and return it. The three trial issues are yours to keep, regardless.
