Breaking Christian News on The Gospel Herald

Congregants of a suburban Chicago megachurch initiated a "love" campaign to counter ugly presidential campaign rhetoric as well as concerning cultural developments. Pastor Steve Carter of the Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Ill., said the initiative also in response to racism and recent world events, including wars in the Middle East.

Roma Downey's remake of the iconic movie "Ben-Hur" was altered after a controversy in Malaysia, resulting in all the scenes depicting Jesus Christ being cut from the version shown in that country to avoid breaking Islamic laws.

Basketball athlete Jeremy Lin admitted he had an amazing summer, but that he'd been a little lax at his praying habits. So he recently committed to praying out loud for 30 minutes a day. "I'm thankful that my prayer life has taken a big jump forward. Prayer has become more natural, and I feel closer to God through prayer," he shared.

Indiana governor and Republican vice presidential candidate, Mike Pence, asked evangelical Christians at Liberty University's Convocation on Wednesday to forgive Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump after Friday's release of a 2005 recording in which Trump is heard, in graphic terms, discussing women and his attempts to grope them. Some people took Trump's comments as proof of sexual assault because he referenced uninvited, random physical advances on women.

The youngest contestant in the history of CBS reality TV show "Survivor" brought a Bible with him into the competition, and aspires to be a pastor in real life. Will Wahl, 18, recently debuted on the show's new season premiere; he hails from Trinity United Methodist Church in Hackettstown, N.J. His fellow congregants are delighted he is using this national platform to bear witness to his faith.

When a U.S. District Court judge Tuesday afternoon lifted a temporary restraining order issued against a small Orthodox Jewish synagogue in California, Chabad of Irvine, regarding a specific Yom Kippur ritual that involves kosher killings of chickens, representatives at religious freedom law firm, First Liberty Institute, said it was a victory for every person of faith in America. The judge's action came just in time for members to observe the high holiday beginning at sundown on Oct. 11.

Pope Francis named 17 new cardinals Sunday, and three of them were American conservatives, including Chicago Archbishop Blase Cupich and Indianapolis Archbishop Joseph Tobin. Some people are taking the move as a sign the pontiff values pastors focused more on mercy than morals. Thirteen of the new cardinals, including all the Americans, are under age 80 and thus eligible to vote in a future conclave to elect Francis' successor, the key job of a cardinal.

Former 2016 presidential candidate Ben Carson said he is firmly standing by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump after a leaked recording revealed this year's GOP nominee making vulgar comments about women in a 2005 recording. Trump, who was newly married to his wife Melania at the time, was heard saying he had tried to sleep with another married woman.

Hurricane Matthew, a Category 3 storm that already killed hundreds across the Caribbean, has started damaging parts of Florida. Celebrities are among those sending prayers to the Sunshine State as the hurricane approaches new sites.

Cooking icon Ayesha Curry announced her new decision to use her public notoriety to be more vocal about her Christian faith, and lead by example. As author of recipe book and New York Times bestseller "The Seasoned Life: Food, Family, Faith, and the Joy of Eating Well" Curry is using her food empire to show her priority to God. Although she said she knows this approach can bring her disrepute from people who are non-religious, the wife of Golden State Warriors basketball legend Stephen Curry asserts she is not afraid.

A recent episode of ABC's "Black-Ish" series, which was simply entitled "God," focused viewers on the confusion of the featured TV family's oldest daughter who refused to pray at the start of a family meal because she has growing doubt concerning the reality of God. For Zoey (played by Yara Shahidi), the suffering that overwhelms human experience challenges belief. "Can there really be a God in light of so much misery in the world?" she pondered.

Catholic experts warned new rules governing religion in China could hamper the church's work severely by curbing their foreign contacts and imposing heavy penalties for unauthorized activity.

One American Idol champion says her celebrity status caused her to attempt to end her life. But the 2004 Idol winner Fantasia Barrino also recently shared how the dark days led her to a close tie with God after her struggles.

Breaking golf etiquette and history, this year's Ryder Cup crowd of 45,000-plus fans in Minnesota broke into a spirited, booming rendition of God Bless America at the first tee on Friday morning. Some attendees said it was unlike anything they've ever seen before at a golf tournament, and was louder than what's often heard at most sports stadiums. The crowd's magical spin worked, because for the first time since 1975, every U.S. player won at least one match. And for the first time since 2008, the Ryder Cup is staying in America.

For North Koreans, local residents say contact with Christians in China is sufficient to warrant execution or consignment to a political prison camp upon repatriation.

World Communion Sunday is celebrated by several Christian denominations with an offering during the first Sunday of October each year. It is a time about being in communion with Christians all over the world, who are pressing toward the goal of serving God in life-changing ministries.

Journalist Martin Bashir is rejoining the world's oldest national broadcaster and public service organization British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) as religion correspondent after many years in the United States. He first gained fame for a 1995 BBC interview with Wales Princess Diana in which she discussed the breakup of her marriage to Prince Charles. In 2003, his documentary "Living With Michael Jackson" aired on ABC to a huge audience. He takes over the post from Caroline Wyatt, who was a BBC journalist for 20-plus years.

Israeli archaeologists stated Friday they have evidence the biblical King Hezekiah indeed destroyed the high places and idols in Israel as described in the Bible, evidence that officials said highlights Israel's past connection to the local land and helps draw the country's boundaries. The Bible in II Kings 18:4 states Hezekiah, the twelfth king of Judea, "removed the high places, smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles.

A&E's "Duck Dynasty" reality actor "Uncle Si" Robertson released a new eBook entitled "Si-Renity," in which he explains how he stays calm and keeps his faith. He echoes that faith is the most important element in his life.

Tullian Tchividjian used to be a happily married man, noted author, traveling speaker and successful pastor of a large church that had a school and seminary. But it all came crashing down in 2015, and he admits he eventually became suicidal. Even this grandson of evangelist Billy Graham failed tests that humans face in this broken world, but he now shares bountiful examples of how God met him in his darkest places.

Members of an atheist group preparing to observe the upcoming International Blasphemy Rights Day on Friday, Sept. 30, said laws around the world that restrict or punish those who criticize religion take away the rights of atheists, Christians and other people, alike. Center for Inquiry members believe free speech is the foundation on which all other liberties rest. The group has held this annual blasphemy observation since 2009.

For the last 25 years, an annual prayer event entitled "See You at the Pole" encouraged students to unite to ask God to intercede for their generation. This year's global prayer observation kicks off Sept. 28 at 7 a.m. local times. "We Cry Out" is the 2016 theme.

An intimate letter that Prohibition-era, Chicago gangster Al Capone wrote while imprisoned at Alcatraz just sold at an auction in Massachusetts for $62,500. The three-page letter was addressed to Capone's son, Albert "Sonny" Capone, and ends with affectionate encouragement and one of many references to the family's Catholic faith.

Shopping catalogs and glossy magazines are "tools of Satan" because they create envy, said Saddleback Church Pastor Rick Warren. "Envy is no longer one of the Seven Deadly Sins. Envy is a marketing tool," he said.

Following Monday evening's first presidential debate between Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton and Republican candidate Donald Trump, evangelist Franklin Graham on Tuesday morning issued a challenge to politicians who proclaim they are fighting for children's rights. "You can't say you've spent your life standing up for children when you support killing them in the womb," Graham stated on his Facebook page. Regarding abortion, both current presidential candidates have supported pro-choice stances.