The ancient city of Bethlehem bustled in the woods behind Florida’s Ponte Vedra Presbyterian Church on Friday, Dec 11. It was just like every year prior to Christmas. With the exception of some light rain, all went according to plan. Two hundred cast members brought the 800-square-foot walk-through Nativity to life as it might have... Continue Reading

On December 16, 2009, at 10 AM PST, a panel of eleven judges of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals sitting in San Francisco will hear oral arguments concerning the constitutionality of San Francisco Board of Supervisor’s virulent resolution attacking the Catholic Church for its teachings against homosexual adoptions. The en banc panel will review... Continue Reading

TwoWest Pasco County (FL) congregations have flocked together to form a new church. Redeemer Community Church was formed 25 after the former River Ridge Presbyterian (PCA) Church and Trinity Community Church merged. The new congregation will gather at 9230 Ridge Road, formerly the River Ridge Presbyterian sanctuary, east of Little Road. “We wanted the name... Continue Reading

The Rev. Nicholas Batzig knows there are plenty of churches to choose from in the Coastal Empire. But that hasn’t stopped him from starting a new one. After all, not all churches are created equal, he said. “A lot of people say it doesn’t matter which church you go to as long as you’re sincere,”... Continue Reading

Towering eight stories over wheat fields, the Golden Lamp Church was built to serve nearly 50,000 worshippers in the gritty heart of China’s coal country. But that was before hundreds of police and hired thugs descended on the mega-church, smashing doors and windows, seizing Bibles and sending dozens of worshippers to hospitals with serious injuries.... Continue Reading

As the pastor of a fledgling church, the Rev. Drew Bennett knows that new congregations live a gypsy life, borrowing places to meet. It is usually years before purchasing a permanent site is possible. Bennett is pastor of Church of the Redeemer in Winter Haven, affiliated with the Presbyterian Church in America, and his congregation... Continue Reading

A panel of federal appellate judges wrestled on Dec 9 with the complex and conflicting legal claims over the fate of the Mount Soledad cross in the latest legal showdown in the long-running case. The 29-foot-tall cross in La Jolla has been the subject of litigation since 1989. After nearly 45 minutes of arguments, it... Continue Reading

In a story featured in the Thursday, December 17 issue of USA Today, Tim Keller, PCA minister and Senior Pastor at New York City’s largest protestant church, is one of several pastors featured in an article about Multi Site churches. The article explains how Tim and others have to dash between 2 or more sites... Continue Reading

A leading Church of England bishop has slammed a number of the world’s favorite Christmas carols, saying some have “nonsense” words that are embarrassing and others reek of “Victorian behavior control.” Bishop Nick Baines of Croydon said “all sorts of fantasies have grown up around Christmas” that leave many people thinking of the celebration as... Continue Reading

The Church of Sweden (Svenska Kyrkan) is bleeding members at an increasingly rapid pace, at the same time as membership rolls in Islamic, Roman Catholic, and Orthodox Christian assemblies are on the rise. Between November 2008 and October 2009, nearly 72,000 people, or roughly 1 percent of the church’s 6.8 million members, asked to leave,... Continue Reading