UNDATED (FR) – Few Americans say faith is a top priority in their life. In a new Barna study:
- 45% say family is the most important
- 20% say health/leisure/balanced lifestyle is the most important
- 17% say wealth/profession/making money/success/finances
- Only 12% say faith is the most important
David Kinnaman says, “People are not turning to God [...]

WASHINGTON (AP) _ A leading congressional advocate for religious freedom says the Obama administration has failed to speak out against growing persecution abroad.
In a House floor speech, Republican Congressman Frank Wolf of Virginia cited apparent U.S. indifference to violations of human rights in Sudan, China, North Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, Egypt and Morocco.
He said Iraq’s ancient [...]

LAKE FOREST, Calif. (AP) _ Pastor Rick Warren is recovering at his California home after being briefly hospitalized due to an eye injury he suffered while gardening.
Warren spokeswoman Kristin Cole says the sap of a firestick plant got into Warren’s eyes when he wiped his brow while gardening at home on Monday. The sap can [...]

Instead of going to church, many American Christians now belong to house churches.
Unlike church buildings where congregations sit through sermons, house churches consist of 12 to 15 people who share what’s going on in their lives, often turning to Scriptures for guidance. They rely on the Holy Spirit or spontaneity to guide their weekly gatherings.
House [...]

WASHINGTON (AP) _ The president of Catholic Charities USA says humanitarian needs resulting from the Gulf oil spill are far outstripping donations from the public.
Father Larry Snyder speculates that could be because Americans blame BP and expect it to pay for all the damage. He said a nationwide appeal by Catholic Charities raised only $37,000.
Snyder [...]

ISLAMABAD (AP) _ Officials in Pakistan say gunmen killed two Pakistani Christian brothers accused of blasphemy against Islam as they left court on Monday.
The men were chained together when the attack took place in the eastern city of Faisalabad as they were being taken back into custody after their court appearance.
Pakistan’s minister for minority affairs, [...]

NASHVILLE, Ind. (AP) _ Parishioners at an Indiana church that investigators say was destroyed by an arson fire have held services next to its charred ruins.
Smoke lingered in the breeze Sunday as 18-year-old Amber Coop and the Grandview Apostolic Church’s 45 other parishioners gave thanks for blessings they said no fire could destroy.
Coop said the [...]

WASHINGTON (AP) _ Supreme Court officials say they’re looking into a complaint by a teacher who says she and her students were prevented from praying outside the court building in Washington.
Alliance Defense Fund Senior Counsel Nate Kellum says the small group from a Christian school in Arizona had bowed their heads and begun praying for [...]

GULF SHORES, Ala. (AP) _ About 100 people have gathered at a beach pavilion at Gulf Shores, Ala. to pray for people and wildlife on the Gulf Coast.
They also prayed for an end to the oil crisis. The participants said God, not BP or the government, holds the key to resolving the disaster.
The president of [...]

JALINGO, Nigeria (AP) _ Another round of violence between Christians and Muslims in Nigeria has left five people dead.
Witnesses and police say it erupted Tuesday in a village in eastern Nigeria. A police commissioner in Taraba state told The Associated Press that Christians upset with a mosque in their neighborhood burned the house of worship [...]