After months of urging from other Baptists around the country, the Rev. Fred Luter told his African-American congregation that he will seek to become the first black man to lead the predominantly white Southern Baptist Convention. Several Baptist leaders said Luter becomes the prohibitive favorite for the post, to be filled in a potentially historic [...]

President Obama connected his faith with his policies toward the poor at the National Prayer Breakfast today, a subtle but sharp contrast to remarks made by presidential hopeful Mitt Romney the day before. “Living by the principle that we are our brother’s keeper. Caring for the poor and those in need,” Obama said before an [...]

From her home, Samia Ramsis holds a key chain bearing the face of the Virgin Mary as visitors outside come to look upon the spot where Egypt’s Coptic Christians believe Mary, Joseph and the infant Jesus found refuge after fleeing Bethlehem. Once crowded with Christians, Cairo’s Coptic quarter where she lives with her husband, Mounir, [...]

The Republican presidential candidates competing for the affections of Florida voters have plenty of labels with which to tar each other: Influence peddler. Failed politician. Cayman Islands account holder. Aspiring polygamist. But perhaps the worst smear they could lob at an opponent would be to call him a “compassionate conservative.” There’s no place for compassion [...]

“Black people are so lazy. They need to get off the welfare and food stamps and get jobs.” Though that sounds like something Archie Bunker would’ve said back in the day, it’s actually the kind of stuff Gingrich people are accusing Republican presidential candidate hopefuls Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich of saying on the campaign [...]

Though you politely but, authoritatively, close your door when the smiling Mormons come knocking, and, you’re deft at deflecting hot Mormons trying to put those combo flirting-proselytizing moves on you, could you, in reality, be cozier with Mormonism than you’d want to disclose in your social and religious circles? The Church of Jesus Christ of [...]

Sue Fritz tended to the sick for more than two decades as a nurse at St. Peter’s University Hospital. By the time she left for another job in 1999, she was vested in the hospital’s federally insured pension program — confident her earned pension of $20,000 or more a year would be there for her [...]

If there’s one thing the fractious Republican field agrees on, it’s that personal religious devotion is central to their campaign message. Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich, Mitt Romney and even Ron Paul stress their faith on the stump; Romney plays up his religion, though he downplays his Mormonism because of lingering evangelical suspicion toward his church. [...]

Conservative Presbyterians launched a new denomination on Thursday (Jan. 19), saying that the Presbyterian Church (USA) is too consumed by internal conflicts and bureaucracy to nurture healthy congregations. “This ‘new Reformed body’ is intended to foster a new way of being the church, just as traditional, mainline denominations rose to serve in their day,” wrote [...]

The Disney Company found another goldmine in the release of the 3D version of The Lion King. So great was that goldmine, that the company decided to do it again with 1991’s Beauty and the Beast. The 3D effects are quite nice. Instead of a more rounded or realistic look in modern 3D movies, this [...]