Category: Culture
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Media Watchdog Leads Protest of ‘Christophobic’ Cartoon About Jesus
A Christian media watchdog is protesting a proposed animated TV show about Christ wanting to escape the shadow of His “powerful but apathetic father” and live a regular life in New York City. Movieguide founder Ted Baehr is seeking 500,000 signatures on an online petition to stop Comedy Central from pursuing the half-hour program JC.…
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Fireproof Producers Say Stakes Are Higher for New Film
As they shoot the follow up to their surprise hit film, the makers of Christian drama Fireproof know that the pressure is on. Currently being filmed in Albany, Ga., Courageous is a bigger effort in every way than the previous church-made movie that was the most successful independent release of any in 2008, grossing more…
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‘Charisma’ Unveils Free Mobile News App
To further its mission to serve the Spirit-filled community, Charisma magazine has launched a free Charisma News Mobile app, one of the first Christian applications to offer original news articles that inform readers about the work of the Holy Spirit worldwide, and inspire and empower believers to live life in the Spirit. The Charisma News Mobile app is currently…
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Brother of Prominent Atheist Makes a Case for Faith
The brother of famous atheist Christopher Hitchens is a committed Christian who says faith is absolutely reasonable. British journalist Peter Hitchens believes faith is reasonable, and that’s no small feat. The brother of God Is Not Great author Christopher Hitchens embraced atheism as a teenager and flamboyantly burned his Bible when he was 15. But at age…
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Transitions
Stepping Down Francis Chan, as pastor of Cornerstone Community Church. He plans to pursue a new form of ministry, which at press time was still unnamed. He was to continue preaching at Cornerstone through May. Appointed Rev. Niek Tramper, as general secretary of the European Evangelical Alliance, the European branch of the World Evangelical Alliance. He…
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Holy Spirit Awakening Generations Through 24/7 Prayer
Youth are spreading renewal to colleges in the Northeast A student “awakening” that began last fall at the International House of Prayer (IHOP) shows no signs of stopping as it heads into its seventh month. The nightly revival services began Nov. 11 when a prayer meeting broke out in an IHOP Bible college class led…
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Is the Obama Administration Softening on Religious Liberty?
A U.S. commission on religious freedom says the Obama administration may be softening its stand on protecting religious freedom. In its 11th annual report on global religious persecution, the bipartisan U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom said since his 2009 speech in Cairo, President Barack Obama has been calling for nations to respect “freedom of…
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Hobby Lobby Family Owns One of The Oldest Bibles in the World
Christian-owned arts and crafts store chain wants to tell an old, old story—the Bible’s. Hobby Lobby, owned by the Green family, who are longtime Pentecostals, has been buying rare Bibles to include in a proposed National Bible Museum, which would tell an interactive history of the Bible. The Oklahoma-based company has been collecting Hebrew scrolls,…
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Church Converts Hospital Into Center to Help ‘Hidden Homeless’
Pastor John Wiley didn’t think it was fair that the working poor or “hidden homeless” in Kansas City, Mo., had to live in pay-by-the-week motels, so his church did something about it. River Christian Fellowship in 2009 purchased a $16 million vacant hospital for $1 million and is working to convert it to the River…
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Bethel Students See ‘Open Heaven’ in Missions Outreach
As part of an intensive missions thrust, 55 teams from the Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry spanned the globe earlier this year, serving the poor, praying for the sick and reportedly seeing miraculous healings. From Nicaragua to Norway to Thailand, 1,189 students spent up to two weeks in March serving others and expecting an “open…
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Younger Christians More Likely To Believe This than Older Ones
One quarter of all Christian adults identify themselves as charismatic or Pentecostal, according to a recent Barna Group poll, but several generational differences exist. The study found that younger Christians are more likely to believe the gifts of the Spirit exist but are less likely to practice them. For instance, 43 percent of Christians under…
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Don Finto Honored for 60 Years in Ministry
Charismatic pastor Don Finto is being honored this week for his legacy through 60 years of ministry as he marks his 80th birthday. Messianic worship leader Marty Goetz and contemporary Christian musician Michael W. Smith will be among those paying tribute Thursday to the former pastor of Belmont Church in Nashville, Tenn., who turned 80…
