The Associated Press : Breaking Christian News: World, Business, and More

Reporter : The Associated Press

Moscow Mayor Speaks Against 'Satanic' Gay Parades
Norway May Ease Stem Cell Research Ban

Norway's government proposed lifting a national ban on using human embryonic stem cells for research, saying Friday that the change might help find cures to a broad range of diseases.
Russian Orthodox Church to Reconcile with Exiled Breakaway

A split between the Russian Orthodox Patriarchate and a breakaway church-in-exile that dates back to the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution will be formally ended in May next year, church officials said Tuesda
Norway Priest apologizes after Bells Ring for Hours

Vidar Aarhus thought it was a local tradition. But after hearing the Salhus Church bells ring for five hours on Christmas Eve, he decided to make some telephone calls.
Russia Teen Sues Over Evolution Teaching

A Russian court on Wednesday held hearings in an unprecedented lawsuit brought by a 15-year-old student who says being taught the theory of evolution in school violates her rights and insults her reli
Church-State Relations Across Europe Heading Toward 'New Landscape'

More than a century ago, France passed a landmark law declaring a clean break between church and state. Riots erupted and a papal encyclical denounced the 1905 act as a 'most pernicious error.'
Survey: Many in Europe Confused on AIDS

Almost half of the European Union population continues to have misconceptions about the ways in which HIV/AIDS can be spread, the European Commission said Monday.
Slovakia Catholics Fight Against Mormon's Influence

Roman Catholic bishops are fighting efforts by the Mormon church to earn official recognition as a religious group in Slovakia.
Madonna's Moscow Show Draws Protests

For even a performer who courts controversy, Madonna's upcoming concert in Moscow has drawn considerable uproar.
Va. Tech Students Prepare to Graduate
Court: Religious Items' Removal Did Not Violate Teacher's Rights

York County School officials did not violate a teacher's First Amendment rights when they removed Christian-themed postings from his classroom, a federal appeals court ruled Wednesday.
Episcopal Seminary Accepts Gay Ex-Governor

The nation's first openly gay governor has become an Episcopalian and been accepted into a seminary, according to a published report.
Texas Panel Rejects Required Bible Class

The House Public Education Committee approved the modified bill Thursday, drawing praise from critics who feared mandatory Bible courses would be more religious than academic.
Exploring the Science Behind Faith
School Board Abandons Evolution Sticker Case

A suburban school board that put stickers in high school science books saying evolution is 'a theory, not a fact' abandoned its legal battle to keep them Tuesday after four years.
College Adjusts Tactics to Draw American Indian Christian Leaders

American Indians aren't beating a path to Christian colleges, so Cook College and Theological School in Tempe, with 95 years of experience educating Indians, is reinventing itself.
Pastors Back McKissic on 'Private Prayer Language'

The Southern Baptist pastor who found himself at the center of a controversy over speaking in tongues drew renewed support Tuesday from a group of pastors who want the denomination to re-examine polic
Southern Baptist Seminary Bars Speaking in Tongues

Trustees at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary have put it in writing: They will not tolerate any promotion of speaking in tongues on their campus.
Shooter's Wife Thanks Amish Community

The wife of a gunman who killed five girls and injured five others at an Amish school released a statement thanking the Amish and others in the Lancaster County community for their 'forgiveness, grac
Hundreds Mourn Slain Wis. Principal

Hundreds of people packed the hot, sticky gymnasium Wednesday to say farewell to the principal shot outside his office last week as he tried to protect his school from a student gunman.
Pa. Churches Offer Prayers for Slain Schoolgirls

Amish and non-Amish alike sought comfort in churches and in each other in prayer services Tuesday night as the region struggled to come to grips with the deadly shooting at a one-room Amish schoolhous
Ga. Christian Mother Seeks Harry Potter Ban

A suburban county that sparked a public outcry when its libraries temporarily eliminated funding for Spanish-language fiction is now being asked to ban Harry Potter books from its schools.
Evangelical Seminary to Offer Courses to Penn State Students

An evangelical seminary plans to open a small campus where Penn State students can take religion classes that would count toward graduation requirements.
D.C. Schools to Hire Teachers from China

D.C. Public Schools officials have signed an agreement this week with education officials in China to hire several teachers to instruct students in the Chinese language and culture.
Evangelicals Intensify Calls for Parents to Pull Kids from Public Schools

Public schools take a lot of criticism, but a growing, loosely organized movement is now moving from harsh words to action — with parents taking their own children out of public schools and exhorting