The church’s pastor, Bishop Rick Painter, was found guilty in city court and sentenced to 10 days in jail and three years probation, though he never served time in jail. A federal court on Monday (April 19) ruled an ordinance in Phoenix, Ariz., trying to limit the sound of church bells is an unconstitutional impingement... Continue Reading

The court noted that the governmental message is disseminated by the volunteers who display the specialty plates on their private vehicles: “There is no reason to doubt that a group’s ability to secure a specialty plate amounts to state approval.” A Tennessee Attorney General’s opinion does not support the issuance of a new “Jesus is... Continue Reading

Texas, Georgia, and Pennsylvania have considered “pole taxes” — for buyers of pornography and patrons of strip clubs and escort services. In tough fiscal times, everything needs to be monetized. Including morality. And governors and legislators in many cash-strapped states have decided that vice can be lucrative, in the form of sin taxes. Texas, Georgia,... Continue Reading

The law currently reads, “The President shall issue each year a proclamation designating the first Thursday in May as a National Day of Prayer on which the people of the United States may turn to God in prayer and meditation at churches, in groups, and as individuals.” The National Day of Prayer Task Force (NDPTF)... Continue Reading

With the mobilizing power of dozens of religious right organizations behind it, why was the firstattended by only a few hundred people? The Freedom Federation Summit taking place April 15-16 at Jerry Falwell’s Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia was billed as the next Great Awakening, the inaugural gathering of “a new movement [that] is forming... Continue Reading

A different twist was added to the turbulent immigration reform debate this week. In a conference call with reporters, a network of conservative political activists and evangelical church leaders announced a campaign to push for the legalization of millions of undocumented people in the United States. “From reading the news, you’d think all conservatives are... Continue Reading

By some estimates, this is a 70-30 center-right nation. How, then, is a far-left liberal nominee considered mainstream and a moderate-to-conservative one not mainstream? Wouldn’t it be nice (as the Beach Boys sang in a completely different context) if once, just once, a liberal Democrat president nominated to the Supreme Court someone he believed reflected... Continue Reading

“…in the past quarter-century, Republican Protestant presidents have appointed conservative Catholics at least in part because of their reliably conservative judicial views.” With U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens talking openly about retirement, attention has focused on the “who” — as in who is on President Obama’s short list of potential nominees. But almost... Continue Reading

“Please explain to women if and why you think it is appropriate to attach your organizations to pornographic enterprises? Did you really swill drinks, ogle young girls and plan party business at this kind of establishment?” The Republican National Committee spent nearly $2,000 at a strip club featuring women performing simulated lesbian and bondage sex... Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, April 5 /Christian Newswire/ — Thousands of students and concerned parents are calling for the cancellation of a blasphemous play at Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C. The offensive production Corpus Christi by Terrence McNally portrays Christ and the twelve Apostles as homosexuals. The lewd production was recently canceled at Tarleton State University in Texas... Continue Reading