Billy Graham's doctor confirmed Thursday that the 92-year-old evangelist has pneumonia, but said he is doing well.

Graham was taken Wednesday to Mission Hospital in Asheville, N.C., where he was started on antibiotics.

Dr. Shaw C. Henderson, a pulmonologist, said Graham is being encouraged to restart normal activities, including physical therapy.

Graham spokesman A. Larry Ross said in a statement that the evangelist started feeling better once he arrived at the hospital near his North Carolina home.

"We anticipate his pneumonia to clear with treatment and hope he will be able to soon return home," Ross said. No departure date has been determined.

Graham has been mostly homebound in recent years and has suffered from age-related ailments, including hearing loss and macular degeneration.

He has continued to work on writing projects, including a first-person account on aging.

Posted by Sarah Pulliam Bailey at  May 12, 2011 2:47PM | Comments (0)

Tim Keller, pastor of Manhattan's Redeemer Presbyterian Church, responded to CT concerning the sudden death of Times Square Church pastor David Wilkerson:

“I am deeply saddened to hear this news. David Wilkerson has made an enduring contribution to the ministry of the gospel in New York City. His courageous commitment to follow God’s call can be an example to us all.”

Posted by Trevor Persaud at  April 28, 2011 12:55PM | Comments (2)

David Wilkerson, author of The Cross and the Switchblade and founder of World Challenge Ministries, died in a car crash today, Charisma and CBN are reporting. CBN reports that Wilkerson, 79, was driving and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Wilkerson was driving east on U.S. 175 in Texas Wednesday afternoon, and moved into the opposite lane where a tractor trailer was driving westbound. The truck driver saw the car and tried to move out of the way, but still collided with the pastor's car head on, according to Public Safety Trooper Eric Long.

It's unclear what caused Wilkerson to veer into the other lane. His wife Gwen was also involved in the crash and rushed to the hospital, along with the truck driver.

The church that he founded, Times Square Church in New York City, has more than 8,000 members.

In 2009, Wilkerson posted a message warning of riots, fires, and economic collapse in New York City. CT wrote at the time about why Wilkerson's message received so much attention.

Wilkerson has more credibility and name recognition than many other online prophets. He is the author of The Cross and the Switchblade, one of the most popular books in evangelical history. (It ranked #32 in Christianity Today's list of "Top 50 Books That Have Shaped Evangelicals.") His Teen Challenge ministry is very prominent in discussions of drug treatment and social service partnerships between church and government. And Times Square Church, which he founded, reportedly draws 8,000 people weekly and is known for its many social service ministries.

Wilkerson continued to write blog posts until his death.

Update: Details about Wilkerson's memorial service will be posted on Times Square's website, which states that it will be streamed live.

David Wilkerson has been a top 10 trending topic on Twitter tonight, including tweets from Wilkerson's cousin and Joel Houston, leader of the Sydney-based youth worship band Hillsong United.

Rich Wilkerson: "The term LEGEND is often used to describe a person of extreme influence but what about a man that supersedes superlatives..david wilkerson"

Joel Houston: "The cross and the switchblade was the first book I ever read. Seeded NYC in my heart. So grateful for the life and legacy of David Wilkerson"

Posted by Sarah Pulliam Bailey at  April 27, 2011 8:48PM | Comments (372)

Prison inmates who are deprived of their religious rights cannot sue states for monetary damages, the Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday.

Inmate Harvey Leroy Sossamon III said a Texas state prison illegally prevented him from attending religious services. Sossamon had been on cell restriction for disciplinary reasons at the time.

Sossamon alleged that the prison's actions violated the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act of 2000, which protects inmates' right to practice their faith.

Justice Clarence Thomas, writing for the majority, ruled that under RLUIPA prisoners can sue to change prison policies but not seek financial redress. Texas does not forgo its "sovereign immunity" when it accepts federal money to run its prisons, Thomas said.

After Sossamon filed suit, the prison changed its policies, Thomas noted.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who was joined by Justice Stephen Breyer in dissenting from the majority decision, argued that RLIUPA allows prisoners to seek "appropriate relief" for violations of the law.

Without the possibility of monetary damages, Sotomayor said, prisoners will be forced to defend their religious rights "with one hand tied behind their backs."

The Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty agreed, saying the high court's ruling leaves prisoners with "an incomplete remedy for vindicating their religious rights."

"We are disappointed in the majority's pinched view of what was a clear congressional intent to provide prisoners broad protection for religious liberty and a robust remedy for its violation, including monetary damages," said BJC Executive Director J. Brent Walker.

Posted by Sarah Pulliam Bailey at  April 21, 2011 3:32PM | Comments (0)

Editor's note: For the past three years, Stephen Smith has used Twitter's API to take a snapshot of what people say they are giving up for Lent. Each year, the list is a mix of the sincere and the sarcastic, the earnest and the anti-religious. But each year, it results in a fascinating look at American spirituality--especially with the recurrent themes of people tweeting how they plan to give up social networking for the 40 day season of fasting.

Congratulations, I guess, go this year to Charlie Sheen, who came in at both #23 and, with “tiger blood,” at #90. Justin Bieber is up several spots this year, so he hasn’t quite crested yet. The next-highest celebrity, who didn’t make the top 100, is British boy band One Direction.

“Trophies,” at #69, refers to the English soccer club Arsenal’s recent defeat, or something.

The later start to Lent this year means that “snow” doesn’t appear on the list–last year, it was #48. Myspace hangs on at #99, dropping 48 places.

Continue reading "What People Gave Up for Lent, According to Twitter"

Posted by Ted Olsen at  April 14, 2011 9:36AM | Comments (1)

Thomas Nelson has announced that Michael Hyatt has stepped down as CEO but will continue to serve as chairman of the board. Mark Schoenwald, who is president and COO, will take Hyatt's place as CEO.

Before he joined the publishing company in 2005, Schoenwald has served as as president of home décor, garden, and gift companies including New Creative Enterprises, One Coast Network, and Kennedy Group, according to Publisher's Weekly. Hyatt wrote on his blog that he plans to spend more time in other areas.

The reason for this transition is that I want to spend more time externally focused: writing, speaking, and pursuing other business interests. This is not a big surprise to my family or closest friends—perhaps not even to you. I love the creative life, and I was finding it increasingly difficult to give expression to my gifts while running a company the size of Thomas Nelson.

I feel that this is the perfect time to make this transition. We finished our fiscal year on March 31st with very strong momentum. We currently have several books on the bestseller lists, including Heaven Is for Real, which has been #1 on the New York Times list for 10 straight weeks. The company is healthy, vibrant, and poised for growth. We have a talented and proven successor in Mark, who can lead the company forward.

Heaven is For Real is about a boy who says he died and went to heaven, a book that has sold quite well for Thomas Nelson. In 2008, the company cut about 10 percent of its workforce. Last year, the private equity firm Kolberg & Co. led a group of investors to acquire a majority stake in the company.

Posted by Sarah Pulliam Bailey at  April 12, 2011 3:36PM | Comments (6)

One of the largest unregistered Protestant churches in Beijing plans to risk arrest by worshipping in the open air this Sunday (April 10) after eviction from the restaurant where they have met for the past year.

The owner of the Old Story Club restaurant issued repeated requests for the Shouwang Church to find another worship venue, and authorities have pressured other prospective landlords to close their facilities to the 1,000-member congregation, sources said. Unwilling to subject themselves to the controls and restrictions of the official Three-Self Patriotic Movement (TSPM), the congregation has held three services each Sunday in the restaurant for more than a year.

Church members have said they are not opposed to the government and are not politically active, but they fear authorities could find their open-air worship threatening.

“Normal” (state-sanctioned) religious assembly outdoors is legal in China, and even unregistered church activity is usually tolerated if no more than 50 people gather, especially if the people are related and can cite the gathering as a family get-together, said a source in China who requested anonymity. Although the congregation technically risks arrest as an unregistered church, the primary danger is being viewed as politically active, the source said.

“For a larger group of Christians to meet in any ‘unregistered’ location led by an ‘unregistered’ leader is illegal,” he said. “The sensitivity of meeting in a park is not being illegal, but being so highly visible. Being ‘visible’ ends up giving an impression of being a political ‘protest.’”

The congregation believes China’s Department of Religious Affairs has overstepped its jurisdiction in issuing regulations limiting unregistered church activity, according to a statement church leaders issued this week.

“Out of respect for both the Chinese Constitution [whose Article 36 stipulates freedom of worship] and Christian conscience, we cannot actively endorse and submit to the regulations which bid us to cease all Sunday worship activities outside of [the] ‘Three-Self Patriotic Movement’ – the only state-sanctioned church,” according to the statement. “Of course, we still must follow the teachings of the Bible, which is for everyone to submit to and respect the governing authorities. We are willing to submit to the regulations with passivity and all the while shoulder all the consequences which . . . continuing to worship outside of what is sanctioned by these regulations will bring us.”

The church decided to resort to open-air worship after a prospective landlord backed out of a contractual agreement to allow the congregation to meet at the Xihua Business Hotel, the church said in its statement.

“They had signed another rental contract with another property facility and announced during the March 22 service that they were to move in two weeks,” the source said. “In spite of the fact that they had signed a formal contract, the new landlord suddenly called them on March 22 and refused to let them use the facility.”

Continue reading "Church in China to Risk Worshipping in Park "

Posted by Sarah Pulliam Bailey at  April 8, 2011 11:39AM | Comments (1)

The Supreme Court on Monday rejected a challenge to an Arizona school tuition credit program critics contend was principally benefiting religious institutions.

The 5-4 decision, combined with a 2007 ruling rejecting a similar challenge to the Bush administration's faith-based office, seems to solidify the court's skepticism toward attempts to derail government funding of religious programs.

Monday's decision was hailed by supporters of religiously based education and makes it tougher for taxpayers to challenge such scholarship programs by claiming they violate church-state separation.

The Arizona tax credit, enacted in 1997, allows participants to receive dollar-for-dollar tax credits for donations to so-called "student tuition organizations," or STOs, of up to $500 for individuals and $1,000 for married couples.

The Arizona Department of Revenue reported that two STOs -- the Arizona Christian School Tuition Organization and the Catholic School Tuition Organization of the Diocese of Phoenix -- received 38 percent of the total donations in 2009. Court documents showed the total percentage of religiously affiliated STOs was 67 percent that year, down from 94
percent in 1998.

Justice Anthony Kennedy, writing for the court's conservative majority, said the taxpayers who filed suit lacked legal standing to challenge the program because they incorrectly viewed the tax credit as a form of government spending.

"While the state, at the outset, affords the opportunity to create and contribute to an STO, the tax credit system is implemented by private action and with no state intervention," he wrote.

The decision echoed the court's 2007 ruling in a case filed against the White House office by an atheist group; in that case, too, the justices said challengers did not have standing.

"In an era of frequent litigation, ... courts must be more careful to insist on the formal rules of standing, not less so," Kennedy concluded in the Arizona decision.

In a strongly worded dissent, the court's freshman member, Justice Elena Kagan, argued that taxpayer standing should not be based on whether the money subsidizing religion comes through a tax break or a direct grant.

"Either way, the government has financed the religious activity," she said. "And so either way, taxpayers should be able to challenge the subsidy."

She was joined in her dissent by Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer and Sonia Sotomayor. Kennedy was joined by Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Antonin Scalia, Clarence Thomas, and Samuel Alito.

The Alliance Defense Fund, which argued for the Arizona Christian School Tuition Organization, hailed the "national precedent" that will limit similar suits in federal courts.

"The court's reasoning is sound," said ADF senior counsel David Cortman. "The government does not own 100 percent of every American's paycheck. The donations are private money, not government money."

Continue reading "Supreme Court Takes Dim View of Church-state Challenges "

Posted by Sarah Pulliam Bailey at  April 4, 2011 4:44PM | Comments (0)

The Supreme Court agreed Monday to consider whether a teacher who was fired from a religious school is subject to a "ministerial exception" that can bar suits against religious
organizations.

The case involves an employment dispute between a Michigan school and a teacher who is defended by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

Lawyers for the Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical Lutheran Church and School in Redford, Mich., argue that courts have long recognized the First Amendment doctrine that often prevents employees who perform religious functions from suing religious organizations.

They asked the court to determine whether it extends to teachers at a religious school who teach a secular curriculum but also teach religion classes and lead students in prayer.

A lower court sided with the school and against fired teacher Cheryl Perich, citing the ministerial exception. But last March, the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the decision, saying it did not apply because Perich spends most of her time teaching secular topics.

The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, which is representing the school, said federal appeals courts are divided on the limits of the ministerial exception and the Supreme Court's consideration is groundbreaking.

"If `separation of church and state' means anything, it means the government doesn't get to pick religious teachers," said Luke Goodrich, deputy national litigation director at the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty.

The EEOC has expressed concern that a ruling against Perich could lead to religious organizations being shielded from all suits filed by staffers "simply by characterizing all of their duties as religious."

Posted by Sarah Pulliam Bailey at  March 29, 2011 3:14PM | Comments (3)

Gordon College has selected Michael Lindsay, assistant professor of sociology at Rice University, as its next president. Lindsay will begin on July 1 at the Christian liberal arts college in Wenham, Massachusetts.

At age 39, Lindsay will join a younger cohort of leaders for Christian institutions. For instance, Philip Ryken, who became president of Wheaton College last year, is 44 and Dinesh D'Souza, president of The King's College, is 49.

Lindsay finished his undergraduate degree from Baylor University, completed a master of divinity degree from Princeton Theological Seminary and received a Ph.D. from Princeton in 2006. He is completing a study is based on interviews with over 500 leaders in the U.S.

Lindsay is author of Faith in the Halls of Power, which documented evangelicals in high-profile leadership positions in politics, media, education, and business. (See Christianity Today's earlier review. The book won first place in the Christianity and Culture category in CT’s annual Book Awards).
CT senior writer Tim Stafford interviewed Lindsay about the book in the November 2007 issue of CT.

Last fall, Gordon's current president R. Judson Carlberg announced his retirement. Timothy Dalrymple has posted a new interview with Lindsay at Patheos.

Ties between Gordon and CT include the following: Former Christianity Today CEO Harold Myra continues to serve on Gordon’s board; CT deputy managing editor Tim Morgan is an alumnus (’78); former CT associate editor Wendy Murray has served as an adjunct professor of communication arts; and prominent Boston pastor Harold John Ockenga was president of Gordon from 1969 to 1979 while serving as the founding board chair of Christianity Today (1956 to 1981).

A prolific author with about two dozen publication credits, Lindsay wrote the following articles for CT and sister publication Books and Culture:

The Engine of the Market | It's not capital. Why wealthy evangelicals and others need to reconsider executive compensation.

Changing of the Guard | What happens to the Religious Right?

Beyond Platitudes | A model for civic leadership that takes religious pluralism seriously.

The Sociological Two-Way Mirror | Pierre Bourdieu's legacy.

Posted by Sarah Pulliam Bailey at  March 28, 2011 9:02AM | Comments (0)

Apple removed Exodus International's app after critics released a position calling the organization "hateful and bigoted." Exodus promotes "freedom from homosexuality through the power of Jesus Christ."

President of Exodus International Alan Chambers* tweeted, "It's official, the @ExodusInl App is no longer in the @AppStore. Incredibly disappointing. Watch out, it could happen to you. #freedom"

Chambers told CT that about 16,000 people had downloaded the app and it had about 500 negative reviews. He said that Exodus has counted 105 ipad apps and 135 mobile apps that support gay rights and homosexuality.

"It’s absolute assault on free expression and free ideas," Chambers told CT. "If you don’t agree with the loudest person in America, you’re going to be forced into conformity."

Apple spokesman Tom Neumayr told CNET that Apple pulled the app because "it violates our developer guidelines by being offensive to large groups of people."

About 147,000 people have signed a petition addressed to Apple CEO Steve Jobs that stated: "Apple doesn't allow racist or anti-Semitic apps in its app store, yet it gives the green light to an app targeting vulnerable LGBT youth with the message that their sexual orientation is a 'sin that will make your heart sick' and a 'counterfeit'. This is a double standard that has the potential for devastating consequences."

Exodus announced the app's availability on March 8, and the petition has gained much media attention since Truth Wins Out spearheaded the "demand that the iTunes store stop supporting homophobia."

Chambers said that Exodus will consider other options, such as an Android app, but says he thinks there might be a double standard.

"If we got 150,000 signature to pull another app, it would be seen as intolerant and homophobic," Chambers said. "We wouldn’t do that because we believe of freedom of speech and freedom of expression in the public sphere. As Christians, we bear the brunt of it because the other side sees it as an antiquated expression."

Truth Wins Out also spearheaded an effort to petition Oprah Winfrey to pull Lisa Ling's “Pray the Gay Away?” episode that features Exodus, though that petition has less than 1,000 signatures.

Other organizations and companies have been targeted because of issues related to sexuality. Equality Matters has targeted Chick-Fil-A for being connected to other ministries. "In fact, the company has strong, deep ties to anti-gay organizations like Focus on the Family and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and its charitable division has provided more than $1.1 million to organizations that deliver anti-LGBT messages and promote egregious practices like reparative therapy that seek to 'free' people of being gay."

Lady Gaga ended a deal with Target for exclusively selling a version of her new album, saying the corporation supported anti-gay rights groups.

Apple made a similar decision last year when it removed an app from the Manhattan Declaration. After a petition with about 7,000 signatures, Change.org, Apple removed it from the app store.

In October, Exodus dropped the "Day of Truth," intended as a response to Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network's (GLSEN) "Day of Silence." Earlier in 2010, Dawson McAllister Association dropped Exodus as partner under pressure from Clear Channel.

People who criticize gay sexual relations for religious or moral reasons are increasingly being attacked, a Vatican diplomat told the United Nations Human Rights Council.

CT recently reported on how evangelical therapists have moved from focusing on changing orientation to embracing faith identity for gays. Previous stories on the ex-gay movement included Tim Stafford's look at Exodus.

*This post has been updated. Correction: The president of Exodus International is Alan Chambers.

Posted by Sarah Pulliam Bailey at  March 23, 2011 12:36AM | Comments (37)

Wolfgang Langhans, a Tokyo-based field director for missionaries, calls the week since the earthquake and tsunami hit Japan "the busiest and most stressful week of my life."

But when those twin crises created a third -- the threat of dangerous radiation leaks from a damaged nuclear plant -- the balancing act between living out a missionary calling and keeping safe became particularly difficult.

"That was and still is a great concern," said Langhans, a German Baptist who works for the group OMF International, which has some 100 missionaries in Japan.

"We constantly inquire about the latest news and advice and have prepared evacuation places in the west of Tokyo should radiation danger reach Tokyo," he said in an e-mail Friday between rolling power blackouts.

His organization has left evacuation decisions up to individual staffers. So far, seven have decided to leave Japan.

Across the devastated country and back home in the United States, missions leaders are grappling with whether staffers should stay put or move away, either to other parts of Japan or out of the country entirely.

The Southern Baptists' International Mission Board also has moved its staffers in eastern Japan to a region southwest of Tokyo.

"The safety and security of our personnel is very important," said board spokeswoman Wendy Norvelle on Friday. "We are also mindful of the Japanese people and want to minister to them in any way we can."

The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod has relocated three missionaries from Tokyo to Kobe, in southern Japan. Two others in the western city of Niigata are not being moved.

"The move is more of a precautionary measure as the situation has worsened given the nuclear crisis," said spokeswoman Vicki Biggs.

Continue reading "Missionaries Grapple with Leaving Japan "

Posted by Sarah Pulliam Bailey at  March 18, 2011 4:08PM | Comments (3)

World Vision workers in Japan are doing what they can to help out in the wake of the tragedy while staying clear of the radiation zones, says a spokesperson for the Christian humanitarian organization.

World Vision has had a Japan office since the late 1980s, but it had never been intended for something like this.

"We had a presence, we had staff in Japan when this disaster hit," says Amy Parodi, a media relations representative for World Vision. "Because Japan is a developed country, very high-functioning, quite wealthy, the office there is actually a lot more similar to our US office. It's more focused on fundraising to fund programs that we do in developing countries."

Fortunately, Parodi says, one of their top relief workers, Kenjiro Ban, lives in Tokyo.

"He's done relief responses in Sudan, in Kenya, in Indonesia, in Haiti," Parodi says. "This is what he does. He's leading the effort now in his own country, which I'm sure is somewhat of a shock for him."

World Vision's assessment team has been surveying the earthquake areas this week. Relief workers are working with the government and taking care to keep clear of the danger zones for radiation.

"Right now World Vision has staff that sere serving the people who have been evacuated," Parodi says. "Our expertise is not in nuclear response...we're trying to figure out how many people to bring in, what level of risk to take, and trying to make sure we make really informed decisions so that we keep our staff safe as well."

In this and other matters, World Vision is taking a lot of cues from the Japanese government.

"They know what they're doing, they're very organized, and really nobody in the world is as prepared to respond to an earthquake and a tsunami as Japan," Parodi says, "Which really goes to illustrate how devastating this disaster was, because it couldn't have hit a more prepared country."

Because of this, some have been saying that people wanting to donate shouldn't specify their funds for Japan so that aid organizations are able to make use of any monetary surplus. Parodi suspects that World Vision's budget for Japan will not be as large as that for, say, Haiti; on that other hand, she says, that's no reason not to give.

"I think we're going to find that the need isn't as high," Parodi says, "It doesn't mean the need isn't there."

The key to maximizing your contribution, she says, is to make sure the receiving entity has as much flexibility to utilize it as possible.

"That's certainly up to people's own giving preferences, but really for groups like World Vision, Red Cross, any of the other organizations that have work in many countries and do a lot of different kinds of work, The more choice you can give the organization to decide what's best, the easier it makes the work."

World Vision is accepting donations through WorldVision.org. You can also text "4japan" to 20222 to donate $10 through a cell phone bill.

"It's such an opportunity for us to show Christ's love through our work," Parodi says. "People know, when they see our name, when they see the orange logo, they know that World Vision is Christian. When they see that we're serving, they know that that's coming in the name of Christ."

Posted by Trevor Persaud at  March 17, 2011 2:42PM | Comments (0)

Danny Pye, a Christian missionary to Haiti, was freed March 15 after being jailed without charge for 5 months.

"Around 6 pm he walked out of the jail," said Annmaria Runion, Pye’s mother-in-law. Danny’s wife, Leann, is due with their second child March 27. She has been staying with her mother in Florida since January.

Runion said Pye is "in the air right now," en route to Florida. His family, including his wife and 4-year-old daughter Riann, are eager to see him, Runion said.

He's scheduled to land in Fort Lauderdale between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. Thursday evening, said Martha Detalma, a family friend.

"Our prayers, tears, and words have been heard and responded with a YES!!" Leann Pye posted on her blog Wednesday. "Danny is free and is out of Jacmel spending some time with the kids. We will be unavailable until next week. Thank you all for your support and prayers. God is good!"

After his release, Pye briefly spoke to the Associated Press, and said he plans to return to Haiti "soon" to continue his work at a Jacmel orphanage. "It's been an experience I'll never forget," he told the AP. "It's a little surreal. ... I sometimes wonder if it was all a dream."

Haitian authorities agreed to release Pye without citing a reason or commenting, according to the American Center for Law and Justice, which said it had been working on Pye's behalf for the past week. "The fact that he was detained and held for months in jail with no charges of any kind is very troubling and points to the fact that the judicial system in Haiti is badly in need of reform," said the ACLJ's Jay Sekulow.

Posted by Ted Olsen at  March 17, 2011 1:53PM | Comments (0)

The group Christian Relief, Assistance, Support and Hope (CRASH) is setting up a forward base in Sendai, Japan to coordinate efforts to relieve the damage and hardship that Friday's 8.9/9.0-magnitude earthquake left behind in a large swath of the island nation.

"We just confirmed that we have a location and trucks of goods will start moving there today," CRASH spokesman Paul Nethercott told CT a few hours ago. "We will set up five more bases as soon as possible. We are doing this so we can send thousands of volunteers out where they are needed most."

Nethercott said CRASH, who calls their relief initiative "Love on Japan," sees it as a chance to "fill gaps" that the Japanese government cannot address and to "share the love of God with the people in Japan."

Japan's church is very much a minority. Less than 0.2% of the population identifies as Christian, and while some Christian cultural artifacts like Christmas and Valentine's Day have made it into the larger population, much of Japan practices a mix of Buddhism and traditional Shinto beliefs and a large number profess no religion at all.

"The church is small here but it is full of courageous and committed people who are brave enough to take a stand for Christ in spite of pressure from family and friends not to," Nethercott told CT. "We are closely connected with a very large network of Christians in Japan."

CRASH has been part of Japan's Christian community for a while, having built strong relationships with the Japan Evangelical Missionary Association and the Japan Evangelical Association.

"Many of the people I am working with I have known for over ten years," Nethercott said. "Some a lot longer. We care about each other and we care about Japan."

One of CRASH's greatest needs, Nethercott said, is funding to "deliver water and other essentials ASAP." Many older people in the earthquake-damaged area will not be able to clean up their own homes, he said.

CRASH is accepting donations through crashjapan.com. Many other Christian groups are working to flood Japan with assistance and providing opportunities to help—among them Samaritan's Purse, World Vision, World Relief, Saddleback Peace Relief, Asian Access, and Redeemer City to City.

"Pray that God will bless the nation of Japan greatly as this great nation deals with a major crises," asked Nethercott.

Posted by Trevor Persaud at  March 16, 2011 9:20AM | Comments (3)

Between continuing coverage of the earthquake aftermath in Japan and The Bachelor finale, about 6,000 people tuned in online tonight to watch Rob Bell discuss his upcoming book Love Wins to a crowd in New York City.

Bell answered some questions from Newsweek's Lisa Miller about heaven, hell, Jesus, God, indirectly responding to questions raised on Justin Taylor's blog that suggested he is a universalist. Skip to about minute 14 in the video below for the hour-long video of the event.

Taylor's post has about 30,000 Facebook "recommends," where readers who click the button add a link to the article on their personal Facebook pages, a small indication of the traffic generated over the discussion. Several authors, bloggers, tweeters have weighed in on the debate, so here's a brief round-up attempt:

Reviews so far include Tim Challies, Kevin DeYoung, Denny Burk, and CT's Mark Galli. More reactions come from Roger Olson, Mark Driscoll, and Margaret Feinberg.

Tim Schrader has a nice point-by-point summary of Bell's interview tonight, including:

Are you Universalist?

No.
No, if by Universalist you mean that there’s a giant cosmic arm that sweeps down and scoops every one in regardless of their wanting to go there or not.

...Your book has been, even before any one read it, criticized as being heretical. What’s so controversial?

Other people could answer that better than I could.
I think that grace and love always rattle people.
Do I think that I am Evangelican Orthodox to the bone? Yes.

Continue reading "Rob Bell on Universalism, Orthodoxy"

Posted by Sarah Pulliam Bailey at  March 14, 2011 10:14PM | Comments (40)

Palm Beach Atlantic University President Lu Hardin resigned suddenly on Friday and pled guilty on Monday to wire fraud and money laundering charges rooted in his previous job as president of the University of Central Arkansas.

Hardin had headed the Florida-based interdenominational Christian school for only two years. For much of that time, his name has been a recurring feature of investigations into questionable financial dealings that took place during his time at UCA.

This particular case involves a $300,000 deferred-compensation bonus Hardin received in 2008, which the U.S. Attorney’s office says he obtained using a forged letter in order to pay off a debt (gambling debt, says a friend). His sentence will be determined in 30-60 days, according to the Palm Beach Sun-Sentinel.

PBA is already working to turn the page on Hardin’s time at the school. The Board of Trustees appointed an interim president, VP of Development Bill Fleming, and will launch a nationwide search for a new full-time leader.

Bernie Cueto, PBA’s campus pastor, says that today’s installation of interim president Fleming was the beginning of the university’s moving-on process. “We had a nice ceremony in the chapel this morning,” Cueto said, “where several of us prayed, and you felt the warmth in the room, almost serving as a balm to the abrupt change from last Friday.”

Cueto believes the interim president was a good choice for bolstering the school’s confidence.

“The previous president…was only here about 20 months,” Cueto says. “So having someone that’s been here since 1992, that knows the university, knows all the departments, knows our story, knows what we’re about—it was really nice for people. “

Since PBA has been on spring break all this week, Cueto says it’s difficult to discern how the student body feels about the change, but he says that President Hardin "really wasn't a fixture on campus," probably because of the short time he was able to spend at the school. “I can’t imagine it being an issue...with the majority of students.”

“PBA’s never depended on one person, or one group of trustees, or the laurels of one man. It’s always been a team effort, depending on God and the Holy Spirit,” Cueto says. “Most people, although they were disappointed, it’s been a reminder of the fallenness of man, and we move forward.”

update 3/11/2011 Anna Zetterberg, managing editor of the PBA Beacon student newspaper, says that the resignation came as a surprise on an afternoon when a lot of students were already heading off for break.

"The response I've gotten from students is mixed," Zetterberg says. "Some feel that the incident shouldn't be blown out of proportions because he paid back the money. Others feel let down and confused. I'm very disappointed overall."

Zetterberg says she was relieved to find out that the issues leading to his resignation hadn't stemmed from Hardin's time at PBA. "At the same time, it does affect us," she says, "and really, it affects Christian universities everywhere because people can very easily associate the actions of our leader with the integrity of the entire institution."

"The most common thing I am hearing people say," she adds, "is just that they are praying for Hardin and for the situation. Regardless of what was done, it's a tough situation for him, his family, the university, and people are just praying a lot about it."

While Zetterberg does wonder why PBA hired Hardin in the first place—"maybe they didn't know the severity of the situation, I don't know"—she doesn't entirely regret the time he spent there.

"I do feel that Hardin was truly and sincerely passionate about PBA, its quality of education and its future," Zetterberg says. "In his short time at PBA, I felt like he really invested himself in our university, and for that, I am grateful."

Posted by Trevor Persaud at  March 10, 2011 3:45PM | Comments (4)

Two senior judges have banned a Christian couple from any further foster care because they oppose homosexuality, a stance that the judges said has no place in the laws of a "largely secular" Britain.

Owen and Eunice Johns, of Derby, England, have already fostered 15 children, but the High Court in London ruled that they can no longer continue the practice because their anti-gay views are legally wrong.

In their decision delivered Monday (Feb. 28), Lord Justice James Lawrence Munby and Justice Jack Beeston said that under 21st-century British law, the rights of homosexuals "should take precedence" over the rights of religious faiths, including Christians.

The two judges decreed that Britain had evolved into a "largely secular," multicultural society whose laws "do not include Christianity."

Eunice Johns, a retired nurse, called it "a sad day for Christianity."

The judges said that "although historically this country is part of the Christian West, and although it has an established church ... which is Christian, there has been enormous changes to the social and religious life of our country over the last century."

The Pentecostal couple had fostered children since 1992 until taking a break. When they reapplied in 2007 to resume fostering, they were told that their attitudes toward gays violated Britain's new sexual equality laws.

Eunice Johns argued that "all we were not willing to do was to tell a small child that the practice of homosexuality was a good thing."

Gay-rights campaigners applauded the court's decision to put "21st-century decency above 19th-century prejudice."

Posted by Sarah Pulliam Bailey at  March 1, 2011 4:57PM | Comments (38)

With huge and ongoing public protests against repressive governments spreading worldwide, it is no surprise that China's leaders are taking an extremely strong and reactive stance against any internet-facilitated public gatherings or protests.

The 'Jasmine Revolution' will not be televised -- in China at least.

Yesterday (Feb. 28), China Aid said a well-known Christian human rights attorney, Jiang Tianyong, had disappeared on Feb. 19. The CA report put the blame on the police.

The report notes the disappearance of three lawyers, in total:

Since the prominent human rights lawyer Tang Jitian was arrested on February 16 by Beijing police, 11 days have passed and his whereabouts are still unknown. Since the prominent Christian human rights lawyer Jiang Tianyong was kidnapped by the police at 4 p.m. on February 19, downstairs from his brother’s apartment, eight days has passed and his whereabouts are still unknown. Mrs. Jin Bianling, wife of Jiang Tianyong, has gone to the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau for inquiries, but to no avail. Once, she was told that over 60,000 people are being detained by the Municipal Public Security Bureau and there is no way they could confirm if Lawyer Jiang Tianyong was among them.

On the afternoon of the same day, the prominent human rights lawyer Dr. Teng Biao was also taken away by the Beijing police and his house was searched. So far, his whereabouts are also unknown. China Aid Association has been watching these incidents closely and strongly denounces the actions of the Beijing authorities in the forced disappearance of these three human rights lawyers and of human rights activists in other regions of China. Such conduct seriously tramples on the legitimate rights of the Chinese citizens and is also a violation of the UN’s “International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance.” Such a gangsterization of the public power and such flagrant violation of the legal system and of civil rights can only aggravate the unrest in the Chinese society, and it will certainly motivate more people into joining the Jasmine Revolution of peaceful civil disobedience.

Meanwhile, All Girls Allowed, the organization that Chai Ling founded to resist China's one child policy, called out China's leadership for its suppression of human rights efforts. In a press statement, All Girls Allowed said:

Volunteers involved in anti-trafficking and anti-gendercide work with the humanitarian organization All Girls Allowed have been targeted by the Chinese government in a recent crackdown likely sparked by various Middle East protests and the peaceable Chinese “Jasmine Revolution.”

Continue reading "Christian human rights lawyer reported kidnapped in China"

Posted by Tim Morgan at  March 1, 2011 1:46PM | Comments (2)

Mars Hill pastor Rob Bell drew significant attention on Twitter and blogs today after Justin Taylor penned a blog post titled "Rob Bell: Universalist?" on Bell's upcoming book Love Wins: A Book About Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived.

Taylor, vice president of editorial at Crossway, has not seen Bell's book (though he read some chapters that were sent to him), but he expressed concern with a video. "[T]his video from Bell himself shows that he is moving farther and farther away from anything resembling biblical Christianity," Taylor wrote.

Taylor pointed to the publishers' description of the book, which does not come out until March 29 from HarperOne. "With searing insight, Bell puts hell on trial, and his message is decidedly optimistic—eternal life doesn’t start when we die; it starts right now. And ultimately, Love Wins," part of the description states.

Bethlehem Baptist Church pastor John Piper tweeted, "Farewell Rob Bell. http://dsr.gd/fZqmd8" linking to Taylor's post. Here's the video in question:

"Rob Bell" was in the top 10 trending topics on Twitter Saturday. As of Saturday evening, about 12,000 people had recommended Taylor's blog post on Facebook, which posts the article on readers' personal pages. The article had about 650 comments.

"I've never seen anything like this. The traffic explosion testifies to the power of blogs for hosting theological debate today," said Collin Hansen, editorial director for the Gospel Coalition. "But the tremendous interest also reminds us that we're dealing with life-and-death issues of eternal importance."

Taylor updated his post, changing some wording and deleting a reference to Cor. 11:14-15: “Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds.” Instead, Taylor ended the post with the following paragraph:

Let’s remember to pray. Rob Bell needs to know and teach the liberating gospel of grace—including that Christ absorbed the Father’s wrath on behalf of those who trust in him and repent of their sins. And there are tens of thousands of folks who look to Rob Bell as a biblical teacher and leader. May God give much mercy.

Several other bloggers have also taken on Bell's book, including Denny Burk, Alex Chediak, and Kevin DeYoung.

I asked North Park University professor Scot McKnight if he had seen an evangelical book get so much attention before its released, and he e-mailed me the following response:

I've not seen anything like it. And, yes, the quickness of social media have made this such a big issue ... today ... and in a week it will all be gone. Justin Taylor once generated almost 100 comments by quoting a blurb of mine that was on the back of IVP's book by Tom Wright on Justification.

Justin may be right about what Rob believes, but if he is wrong then he owes Rob Bell a huge apology. I want to wait to see what Rob Bell says, read it for myself, and see what I think of it. Rob is tapping into what I think is the biggest issue facing evangelicalism today, and this fury shows that it just might be that big of an issue.

The publicity approach of HarperOne worked perfectly. They got huge publicity for a book. They intended to provoke -- and they did it well. I think it is wiser to wait to see the real thing than to rely on publicity's provocations. Justin bit, and so did many of his readers.

Frankly, John Piper's flippant dismissal of Rob Bell is unworthy of someone of Piper's stature. The way to disagree with someone of Rob Bell's influence is not a tweet of dismissal but a private letter or a phone call. Flippancy should have no part in judging a Christian leader's theology, character or status.

Continue reading "Rob Bell's Upcoming Book on Heaven & Hell Stirs Blog, Twitter Backlash on Universalism"

Posted by Sarah Pulliam Bailey at  February 26, 2011 9:53PM | Comments (190)