Luis Palau: Mass evangelism still works

Fifty years into proclaiming the Gospel, evangelist Luis Palau has not slowed down in telling the world who Jesus Christ is.

It may be a bit traditional or just plain simple, but he strongly believes that "the more we preach, the more the Gospel spreads".

At 75, the Argentina-born preacher continues the tradition of mass evangelism that he picked up from Billy Graham. And like Graham, he has had to face critics who doubt his method of preaching.

Luis Palau celebrates 50 years of ministry this year.

Andrew Palau preaches love in Uganda despite terrorist threats

More than 80,000 people turned out to hear Andrew Palau preach in Kampala over the weekend in spite of heavy security and fears of another terrorist attack.

The two-day Love Kampala Festival went ahead at the city’s Kololo Airstrip even after the local authorities ramped up security in the wake of another terrorist threat.

Just one week before the festival, a Somalian man was arrested on suspicion of terrorism onboard a Uganda-bound flight that was also carrying seven members of Palau’s team. The latest threat comes after a fatal attack on Kampala in July, when the al-Qaeda-linked Somalian terrorist group al-Shabab set off two bombs in the capital, killing 76 people.

Andrew Palau preached the Gospel to more than 80,000 people in Kampala, despite security concerns.

Are we just too afraid to ask people to church?

As more than 600,000 people across the United Kingdom are being invited to special church services for Back to Church Sunday this weekend, one of the founders of this movement is on a mission to mobilise long-term church growth.

Michael Harvey, who first helped to launch Back to Church Sunday back in 2004 in Manchester, England, has spent the last year travelling across the UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, preparing churches to invite their friends back to church by running seminars called "The 12 Steps to Becoming an Inviting Church".

Harvey explains how he came up with this teaching series.

Opponents of women bishops establish new society in Church of England

The new Mission Society of St Wilfrid and St Hilda has been met with consternation from supporters of women bishops.

Anglo-Catholics have established a new society as the Church of England moves closer to consecration of women bishops.

The Mission Society of St Wilfrid and St Hilda was launched this week by nine Anglo-Catholic bishops, including the Bishop of Chichester and the Bishop of Gibraltar, as draft legislation on women in the episcopate was sent out for consideration to dioceses this week.

The new society has been founded as an alternative to leaving the Church of England and joining the Catholic Church under the auspices of an Ordinariate offered by Pope Benedict.

The Church of England's General Synod voted in July to send draft legislation on women in the episcopate out to dioceses for consideration

Second Church Threatened with Demolition in Malaysia

A second church in Orang Asli is slated for destruction even though the native parishoners don't know why.

The church, located in a forested area of Pos Pasik, is only accessibly by four-wheel drive.

"The community has always had bamboo churches which have to be replaced once every two years," said Moses Soo, bishop of all Orang Asli churches in Kelantan. "Two years ago, the government began providing brick houses for the villagers and this sparked the idea of a brick church too."

Cash for the church construction, which began in May, was raised by the community and aided by Soo.

Pope attacks current of ‘aggressive secularism’ in Britain

Pope Benedict XVI has begun his four-day visit to Britain with a warning against “aggressive forms of secularism” that are failing to tolerate traditional values.

Addressing the Queen and other leaders, including the Archbishop of Canterbury and Deputy Prime Minister, the Pope spoke of the "Nazi tryanny that wished to eradicate God from society and denied our common humanity to many, especially the Jews".

He said: "As we reflect on the sobering lessons of the atheist extremism of the twentieth century, let us never forget, how the exclusion of God, religion and virtue from public life leads ultimately to a truncated vision of man and of society and thus to a 'reductive vision of the person and his destiny'.".

Pope Benedict XVI rides in the Popemobile down Edinburgh's Princes Street on the first day of his four day visit to the United Kingdom

US tells Egypt to bring Christmas Eve killers to justice

The US Commission on International Religious Freedom has called on Egypt’s government to resume the trial of three men charged with the murder of seven people in a small southern Egypt town on Christmas Eve.

Since February, court proceedings have been postponed numerous times, and USCIRF is pressing the government to ensure that Saturday’s scheduled trial go on as planned.

“Justice delayed is justice denied,” remarked USCIRF chair Leonard Leo, whose agency makes policy recommendations to the US President, Secretary of State, and Congress with respect to matters involving international religious freedom.

“Is it possible for Coptic Orthodox Christians to get justice in the Egyptian court system?” he asked.

On January 6, as Coptic Christians prepared to observe Christmas Day, gunmen travelling in a car opened fire in a shopping district in the town of Nagaa Hammadi and later in front of the southern Egyptian town’s main church as worshippers emerged from midnight mass.

Christian human rights group urges Indonesia to protect religious freedom

Christian Solidarity Worldwide has called upon the Indonesian Government to safeguard religious freedom and pluralism in the wake of attacks on Christians and Ahmadiyya Muslims in the country.

The Setara Institute for Democracy and Peace says that at least 30 attacks on churches have been reported so far this year, with extremist Islamist groups targetting churches in West Java in particular.

In one attack earlier this month, an elder of the Batak Christian Protestant Church in Bekasi was seriously injured when he was stabbed in the heart and stomach while on his way to a service. In another incident, a pastor was beaten with a wooden block.

New figures reveal changing shape of Methodist Church

New figures from the Methodist Church have revealed the diverse nature of its congregations today.

This year’s Statistics Mission Report is the first to include data on language, ethnicity, Fresh Expressions and the number of churchgoers engaged in children and youth ministry.

According to the report, there are at least 89 Methodist congregations in Britain running worship or fellowships in a non-English language. Just some of the language groups are Hindi, Mandarin, Farsi, French and Zimbabwean.

Walworth Methodist Church in London is typical of the many multi-ethnic congregations that exist throughout Britain. It operates four fellowships and services for Christians from Sierra Leone, Ghana, Zimbabwe and Nigeria, with parts of the services taking place in the mother tongue.

The Methodist Church said 89 of its congregations are holding fellowships or worship in languages other than English

Bishop Eddie Long to Address Sex Abuse Claims

Bishop Eddie Long, the prominent Atlanta pastor accused of sexually abusing three former members of his congregation, said he will wait until Sunday services to speak publicly about the charges against him.

The news comes one day after the 57-year-old pastor "categorically" denied claims that he coerced two men - 20-year-old Maurice Robinson and 21-year-old Anthony Flagg - into a sexual relationship when they were teenagers

"Bishop Eddie Long adamantly denies the allegations," Long's attorney Craig Gillenand said in a statement Wednesday. "It's unfortunate the two young men have chosen to take this course of action."

The two filed separate civil lawsuits Wednesday saying Long showered them with cars, clothes, jewelry, and electronics, took them on trips in private jets, and put them up in luxury hotels.

United Methodists Start to See Uptick in Young Clergy

The United Methodist Church has begun to see an increase in the number of young clergy after decades of decline, a new report reveals.

There are now more young local pastors than at any time in recent history, according to the Lewis Center for Church Leadership.

Up from 3.4 percent in 1985, local pastors under the age of 35 now make up 5.8 percent of all 7,341 UMC clergy, including part-time pastors.

At the same time, however, the median age of local pastors is still 55.

CrossRoads United Methodist Church in Phoenix is seen here in a Feb. 13, 2010 photo.

Megachurch Pastor Preaches 24 Hours Straight on Audacious Faith

One of the youngest megachurch pastors in the country preached what may have amounted to half a year's worth of sermons in 24 hours.

Executing what he called the craziest, most asinine ideas he's ever had, Pastor Steven Furtick stood in front of a live Web audience on Tuesday and Wednesday, teaching from the Bible for 24 hours straight.

Though hours of sermons may have easily sounded like a snooze fest for some, the online event was a big draw for thousands who were familiar with the young pastor's passionate preaching.

"Audacious faith" was the main message he proclaimed.

It's the same message found in his newly released book, Sun Stand Still: What Happens When You Dare to Ask God for the Impossible.

"There's so many people living with the ache of the ordinary; nothing seems to ever happen supernatural in their lives," he said.

Steven Furtick, senior pastor of Elevation Church in Charlotte, N.C., preaches to a live Web audience for 24 hours straight, Sept. 21-22, 2010.

Study: Behaviors Americans Consider 'Sinful'

Americans overwhelmingly believe in the concept of sin whether they are religiously involved or not, according to a new Ellison Research study released Tuesday.

“Sin,” as defined by the research organization, is “something that is almost always considered wrong, particularly from a religious or moral perspective.” The study questioned more than 1,000 American adult respondents whether they believe in such a thing as “sin” and then asked them whether 30 different behaviors were sinful.

Out the list of 30 behaviors, adultery was most often described as a sinful behavior by American respondents (81 percent).

Following adultery was racism (74 percent); using “hard” drugs such as cocaine, heroine, meth, LSD, etc. (65 percent); not saying anything if a cashier gives you too much change (63 percent); abortion (56 percent); and homosexual activity or sex (52 percent) rounded out the top five behaviors most often considered sinful by Americans.

File photo dated April 25, 2007, of two females drinking wine in a central London pub.

Obamas Join Worship Service at Episcopal Church

President Barack Obama and his family made a rare appearance at church on Sunday. The first family attended Sunday morning service at St. John's Church.

With daughters Malia and Sasha, Obama and his wife, Michelle, strolled across Lafayette Square to join an hourlong service at the nearby Episcopal church.

It was the first time in months that the president worshipped in public.

The Rev. Dr. Luis Leon preached that morning on the parable of the dishonest steward.

"Jesus is not endorsing the guy because he's dishonest but because he's shrewd," the rector explained.

President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama leave St. John's Episcopal Church as Rev. Luis Leon follows after services in Washington, Sunday, Sept. 19, 2010

10 arrested in Indonesia over attack on church leaders

Police in Indonesia have arrested 10 suspects in connection to Sunday’s attack of two church leaders, authorities reported on Wednesday.

Among the ten is Murhali Barda, head of the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI)’s chapter in Bekasi, who police brought in for questioning on Tuesday.

Barda is suspected of inciting Sunday’s attack on the Rev. Luspida Simandjunktak and church elder Hasean Lumbantoruan Sihombing, who were ambushed as they were going to church at around 9am.

After stabbing Sihombing and striking Simandjuntak on the head with a wooden plank, the seven or so attackers reportedly fled the scene on their motorcycles. Both church leaders were then rushed to Mitra Keluarga Hospital in East Bekasi for treatment, where Sihombing remains in critical condition.

The attacks prompted a quick response from Indonesia's president, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who immediately called on authorities to investigate and hold accountable those responsible.

Yudhoyono, who relies heavily on Islamic parties in parliament, has been widely criticised for failing to crack down on Islamic hard-liners, who were immediately suspected of carrying out Sunday's attacks.

While most people in Indonesia practice a moderate form of Islam and abhor violence, attacks on religious freedom by hardliners have been steadily increasing, according to human rights groups.

According to the Setara Institute for Peace and Democracy, there have been 64 incidents this year, ranging from physical abuse to preventing groups from performing prayers and burning houses of worship. In 2009, there were only 18, and in 2008 only 17.

Earlier this month, members from the same church as Sunday’s attack victims - Huria Kristen Batak Protestan (HKBP) - were also assaulted. According to reports, at least 300 members of the Islamic People’s Forum and the Islamic Defenders Front broke through a police barricade on August 8 and ordered 20 members of the HKBP church meeting in Ciketing.

When the church members refused, the protesters reportedly assaulted the group with sticks, stones or their bare hands. Some of the church members required hospital treatment.

The previous Sunday, around 300 Muslim protesters and 300 police officers surrounded members of the HKBP as they worshipped in the open field, and one protester hit Pastor Simanjuntak on the cheek, reported Compass Direct News.

For around years now, the 1,500-large HKBP has been waiting for local officials to respond to a building permit application filed in 2006. When Muslim neighbors in December 2009 objected to the meetings in a housing complex on the grounds that the church had no permit, officials banned church members from meeting there.

With its building permit application delayed, the church disregarded the ban, leading officials to seal the building on June 20.

About two weeks later, Bekasi Mayor Mochtar Mohammad reportedly said he would allow the congregation to meet in public areas or at the city hall. Simanjuntak, in response, moved worship to the proposed building site.

HKBP has since filed a case against the Bekasi administration, insisting that government officials must grant a permit to the church for its Christian activities in accordance with the constitutional rights of all Indonesians

In addition to being the world's third-largest democracy and the world's largest archipelagic state, Indonesia is home to the world's largest Muslim population.

Muslims account for 86.1 per cent of Indonesia's population of 240 million. Protestant Christians, meanwhile, account for 5.7 per cent, and Roman Catholics 3 per cent.

Report Reveals Salaries of Megachurch Pastors

The average salary for a lead pastor in a megachurch is $147,000, according to a recent survey.

Salaries for lead pastors go as high as $400,000 to as low as $40,000, Leadership Network reported in its 2010 Large Church Salary and Benefits Report.

Executive pastors at churches that have a weekend attendance of 2,000 or more persons earn, on average, $99,000 a year and worship pastors get paid $75,000.

Meanwhile, high school pastors earn $54,000 and the church technology director earns $58,000. The salary figures do not include the value of benefits.

Leadership Network has been tracking salary and benefits in large churches since 2001. It has found that the median salary has largely remained the same over the past few years even as attendance at those churches increased.

In this file photo, thousands attend a Sunday worship service at Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Pastors Question Francis Chan's Decision to Leave Megachurch

Popular author and preacher Francis Chan was recently questioned by fellow pastors who tried to wrap their heads around Chan's decision to leave his megachurch.

"I'll be honest. Everybody thinks you're cuckoo for cocoa puffs. You got a good church going on and you hit the eject button and now you're the international man of fu Manchu mystery," said Pastor Mark Driscoll of Mars Hill Church in Seattle.

Francis Chan, former senior pastor of Cornerstone Church in Simi Valley, Calif., addresses questions about his decision to let go of his church and follow a stirring in his heart. The discussion included Pastor Mark Driscoll of Mars Hill Church in Seattle and Pastor Joshua Harris of Gaithersburg, Md.

Kansas Pastor deals with sexual impropriety in church.

Christian leaders shouldn't pretend that they are not susceptible to moral failure, particularly sexual impropriety, one pastor has warned.

In fact, being in Christian leadership "actually increases the likelihood that you're going to be struggling with these things," said Adam Hamilton, senior pastor of Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas.

Pastors, church staff, lay leaders and volunteers often work long hours, dealing with heart matters and working on visions that they're passionate about and on "change the world kind of things," Hamilton explained. Mixed in with that is the fact that human beings are involved.

'Islamization' of Paris a Warning to the West

Friday in Paris. A hidden camera shows streets blocked by huge crowds of Muslim worshippers and enforced by a private security force.

This is all illegal in France: the public worship, the blocked streets, and the private security. But the police have been ordered not to intervene.

It shows that even though some in the French government want to get tough with Muslims and ban the burqa, other parts of the French government continue to give Islam a privileged status.

Hong Kong church leaders call for tolerance towards Filipinos after Manila hostage deaths

People in Hong Kong tie ribbons outside the Legislative Council Building in memory of eight Hong Kong tourists killed in a hostage siege in Manila

Church leaders have appealed for tolerance towards Filipino migrant workers in Hong Kong after the Manila hostage siege.

Eight Hong Kong tourists were killed in the Philippines by armed former police officer, Rolando Mendoza, when he hijacked their tour bus last week and demanded to be given his job back. The siege ended when police shot Mendoza dead.

In Hong Kong, the story dominated the front pages of newspapers for five consecutive days, with the Administration demanding a thorough investigation.