Christopher Hitchens will be remembered as many things: an acerbic essayist, connoisseur of Scotch and cigarettes and roguish writer whose forceful pen was fueled by an imposing intellect.

Yet his impact on American life, which will be felt long after his death at age 62 on Thursday (Dec. 15), is likely to be the unabashed atheism he championed throughout his life, and the public voice he gave to growing numbers of unbelievers.

Even his foes — whose prayers he simultaneously welcomed and rejected as he battled esophageal cancer — say his acid-tongued arguments against God sharpened their own.

“As an atheist who challenged America’s deeply held religious convictions, he will continue to serve as a thorn in the side of those who believe that religion requires no rational defense,” Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, a friend and frequent sparring partner, wrote in a tribute for The Forward, a national Jewish newspaper.

Hitchens had long been a foe of organized religion and its leading lights; when the late Pope John Paul II beatified Mother Teresa in 2003, Hitchens dismissed her as a “fanatic, a fundamentalist, and a fraud.” He called the late Jerry Falwell an “ugly little charlatan,” saying “it’s a pity there isn’t a hell for him to go to.”

Throughout his career, Hitchens rejected religious faith as “evil nonsense,” and a “real danger” to civilized society. “I regard it as an enemy,” he said in 2008, “and a real deadly one.”

The self-described anti-theist channeled his unbelief into a direct and eloquent challenge of religion, especially the large and small actions carried out in God’s name.

“Christopher Hitchens changed the discussion about religion and nonbelief by championing public criticism of theology,” said Roy Speckhardt, executive director of the American Humanist Association.

The murderous religious extremism behind the 9/11 terrorist attacks crystalized Hitchens’ fears about religion. In the years after 9/11, he and other public atheists shot to the top of best-sellers lists with titles like his 2007 manifesto, “God is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything.”

Together with Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins and Daniel Dennett, Hitchens was hailed as one of the “Four Horsemen.” In a tweet after Hitchens’ death, Dawkins heralded his friend as a “valiant fighter against all tyrants, including God.”

Still, Hitchens’ take-no-prisoners style was not universally embraced within atheist circles. Hitchens could be as militant and fundamentalist as those he criticized, his atheist allies said, and did little to help the movement’s public perception.

“Now, they’re very good atheists and very dedicated people who do not believe in God,” Paul Kurtz, founder of the Council for Secular Humanism, told NPR in 2009. “But you have this aggressive and militant phase of atheism, and that does more damage than good.”

When Hitchens announced his terminal cancer last year, some foes hoped it would prompt a deathbed conversion of sorts. Hitchens said he was grateful that people would care enough to pray for him, but swiftly rejected the idea that death could or should make him a believer.

“I have resented the idea that it should be assumed, now that you may be terrified, or depressed, that now would be the time to throw out values you have had for a lifetime,” he said. “Repulsive. Wholly contemptible.”

In life, Hitchens swam against the tides of religious belief that shape so much of modern life. In death — an irony that would delight and disturb his contrarian soul — believers are using the loss of the most articulate voice of unbelief in a generation to argue, once again, for belief.

“The point about Christopher Hitchens is not that he died of unbelief,” tweeted R. Albert Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, “but that his unbelief is all that matters now. Unspeakably sad.”

An open letter signed by 36 religious leaders in today’s New York Times has called on Village Voice Media to shut down a webpage reported to be used to traffic children for sex.

“As moral and religious leaders of many creeds and backgrounds,” said the letter to Jim Larkin, CEO and chair of Village Voice media, “we are united in calling on your publication to shut down the Adult section of Backpage.com.” Arrests of adults selling minors for sex via Backpage.com have been reported in 14 states.

The ad was placed in the Times by Groundswell, the social action initiative of Ney York’s Auburn Seminary.

Signers of the display ad in the Times include National Council of Churches President, the Rev. Peg Chemberlin, and NCC General Secretary, the Rev. Dr. Michael Kinnamon.

“We share the opinion of the nation’s 51 Attorneys General that the best way to eradicate your company’s connection with the sex trafficking of minors is to shut down the Adult section of your Web site, as Craigslist did,” the leaders said.

“We know there is much more to be done to end the sex trafficking of minors beyond what we ask of you,” the leaders said. “Ending this practice for good requires a groundswell of people in our business, media, and religious communities joining together in partnership.”

“But we can do something right now to help these girls and boys,” the religious leaders told Larkin and members of the board of directors of Village Voice Media. “Please shut down the Adult section of Backpage.com immediately so that no minor is exploited through advertisements on your Web site.”

The estimated annual revenue from the Backpage adult section exceeds $22 million. Village Voice Media said earlier it has increased efforts to screen for ads featuring minors, but the religious leaders said they believe the efforts have been inadequate.

Clergy wishing to add their name to a letter to Village Voice media can do so at Groundswell here. Other citizens may sign here.

I have a confession to make and I’m afraid that it will offend Veggie Tales lovers at large, but it has to be said. I hate Junior Asparagus. There I said it and with only a little shame. I know that his character is supposed to be cute and all, but his voice is grating like nails on a chalkboard. No offense to Lisa Vischer, voice of said vegetable. I am sure that she is a lovely lady and when not talking like our little green friend, I am sure that her real voice sounds lovely as well. Lisa is also the wife of Phil Vischer, creator of Junior. Junior is a small veggie with big dreams. Many times, he is the only character with the voice of reason. But oh, that voice.

Originally posted at Examiner.com

A new book will be released in September that takes a deeper look into the faith of teen icon Justin Bieber.

The book, Belieber! Faith, Fame and the Heart of Justin Bieber, is penned by Cathleen Falsani, an award-winning journalist with a specialty on the intersection of spirituality and pop culture. It is being published by Worthy Publishing.

Bieber’s cultural influence on today’s generation is seen to equal—if not exceed—that of the Beatles 50 years before. Despite his overwhelming success, he has remained consistent in his talk of his Christian faith.

Falsani covers Bieber’s story of fame from the time he was spotted on YouTube and also writes about behind-the-scenes observations she has had of the star.

Of her subject, Falsani says, “Justin has a message beyond what many critics quickly dismiss as ‘puppy love’. It is above love, God’s love for everyone. And his fans are listening.”

Bieber is consistent in interviews and TV shows in expressing his beliefs regarding his Christian faith, and talks of hope, gratitude and believing to his millions of fans, including some 11.6 million Twitter followers.

At the recent Teen Choice Awards, Bieber collected his trophy, then told the crowd, “I wanna say that anything is possible if you set your mind to it. You gotta keep God first and always remember to keep family first.” He then made a sweeping gesture to the audience and added, “Jesus loves every one of you!”

While it is not unusual for celebrities to mention God during award shows, it is rare that stars will specifically mention Jesus. This is because there is often a consciousness about image.

To mention God is considered to be more inclusive, and helpful to a celebrity’s image and career. To specifically mention Jesus means the risk of drawing a line.

Bieber, 17, has talked of his faith in Jesus with Rolling Stone, on television, on the red carpet. And it seems that as he matures, he becomes more confident of his own voice—beyond the singing voice, the voice that talks of what is on his mind and what he thinks.

This is a voice that is not worried about image, or about appealing to as wide an audience as he can. Bieber seems unworried about alienating his fans. Because of this, Falsani perceives Bieber to be a new breed in the celebrity world.

Falsani wrote in her RNS column that she perceives Bieber as someone who can express his faith in a way that does not offend others, and he is not defensive in doing so. He comes across as authentic and humble, and his millions of fans around the world are listening when he says, “Jesus loves every one of you.”

Pattie Mallette, Bieber’s mother, is a woman of deep faith who has said in interviews that she believes her son has been called to speak as a voice for this generation.

Falsani, who has done personal interview profiles of Barack Obama, Elie Wiesel, Anne Rice, and Studs Terkel among others, has written the critically acclaimed books The God Factor, The Dude Abides: The Gospel According to the Coen Brothers, and Sin Boldly.

Falsani said on the book website that in light of the fact that music and film remain the language of today’s generation, she is hopeful that faith leaders and parents will view popular culture with new insight and see it as a means to enhance communication with their children.

Last week my son asked me a profound theological question: “Why did God make stinging bugs?”

Stumped, I told him to talk directly to God about it. Pausing for just a moment to consider my inadequate answer, he countered, “You know I can’t talk to God; I’m not even dead yet!”

In my son’s literal but complex eight-year-old mind, prayer does not qualify as “talking to God.”

Thus, his many and variegated questions about the mysteries of the universe, the meaning of life, and the purpose of wasps and biting flies, will have to wait.

Truth be told, my son’s conclusion about “talking to God,” and more pertinent, God talking to us, is the conclusion most of us have. God doesn’t really talk to people, does he?

And those mystical types who routinely say things like, “God spoke to me” or “I heard God say,” are we to take them seriously, or should they be scheduled for a mental health examination?

I remember a bizarre story from two decades ago about a Texas pastor who crashed his car while attempting to elude police.

It was a bizarre story, first, because all 20 of the pastor’s parishioners were with him in his vehicle – 15 adults and five children – in a single Pontiac.

Second, and stranger by the details, the congregants were all naked. It seems the devil had cursed their clothing, God had told them, so the voodooed garments were cast off per divine instruction.

And finally, the police were chasing the naked and mobile congregation because they had attempted to forcibly procure a parked RV, an RV that God said now belonged to them.

God gets blamed for a whole lot of the kookiness in this world, and stories like this one make me appreciate my son’s conclusion.

If this is how God speaks, I’ll be happy to wait till I’m dead for such divine instruction.

And let’s be honest; sometimes the stories are more tragic than comical. Some of history’s greatest atrocities have been committed because someone “heard God speak” to them.

Absurdity aside, I still believe God speaks.

Now, I don’t believe God’s instructions ever include harming others, stealing their property, or committing violence. Such voices are patently inconsistent with the way and person of Christ

And no, I don’t think God’s voice arrives in our inboxes as an unalterable blueprint for life. Further, it’s not likely that many of us will find God standing at the foot of our bed some early morning with a heavenly telegram in his hand.

Besides, if God did speak that clearly (and maybe he does), most of us would miss it anyway (maybe we have), for it seems God prefers communicating through quiet and stillness rather than through the pyrotechnics of signs, wonders, and naked-RV-stealing-hijinks.

“God didn’t speak through the whirlwind, the earthquake, or the fire,” the prophet of old tells us. Instead, God spoke “in a still, small voice.”

It’s summed up by Dan Rather’s magnificent interview of Mother Teresa more than twenty years ago.

Paraphrasing, he famously asked her, “What do you say to God when you pray?” She offered him a simple answer, “I don’t say anything. I just listen.”

Rather then asked the obvious follow-up question: “Well, what does God say?” Mother Teresa gave Rather that crooked little smile of hers, and said, “God doesn’t say anything either. He just listens.”

Does such a wordless “conversation” sound as bizarre as a Pontiac filled with naked Pentecostals? Hardly. In a relationship of love and trust, being together is enough, and more is understood in the silence than when using all the words in the world.

A great deal of religion, I fear, is built upon the desire for divine fireworks, megaphoned and crystal clear answers, God showing himself in flamboyant and undeniable style.

Yet, God only requires the quiet and silent heart to quietly and silently speak.

In other words, keep your shirt on. Getting quiet will do more to sharpen one’s perception of God than all the religious gymnastics in the world.

Ronnie McBrayer is a syndicated columnist, speaker, and author. His books include “Leaving Religion, Following Jesus” and “The Jesus Tribe.” Visit his website at www.ronniemcbrayer.net.

Question: “Does God still speak to us today?”

Answer: The Bible records God speaking audibly to people many times (Exodus 3:14; Joshua 1:1; Judges 6:18; 1 Samuel 3:11; 2 Samuel 2:1; Job 40:1; Isaiah 7:3; Jeremiah 1:7; Acts 8:26; 9:15 – this is just a small sampling). There is no biblical reason why God could not or would not speak to a person audibly today. With the hundreds of times the Bible records God speaking, we have to remember that they occur over the course of 4,000 years of human history. God speaking audibly is the exception, not the rule. Even in the biblically recorded instances of God speaking, it is not always clear whether it was an audible voice, an inner voice, or a mental impression.

God does speak to people today. First, God speaks to us through His Word (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Isaiah 55:11 tells us, “So is my word that goes out from my mouth: it will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” The Bible records God’s words, everything we need to know in order to be saved and live the Christian life. Second Peter 1:3 declares, “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by his own glory and goodness.”

Second, God speaks through impressions, events, and thoughts. God helps us to discern right from wrong through our consciences (1 Timothy 1:5; 1 Peter 3:16). God is in the process of conforming our minds to think His thoughts (Romans 12:2). God allows events to occur in our lives to direct us, change us, and help us to grow spiritually (James 1:2-5; Hebrews 12:5-11). First Peter 1:6-7 reminds us, “In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.”

Finally, God may sometimes speak audibly to people. It is highly doubtful, though, that this occurs as often as some people claim it does. Again, even in the Bible, God speaking audibly is the exception, not the ordinary. If anyone claims that God has spoken to him/her, always compare what is said with what the Bible says. If God were to speak today, His words would be in full agreement with what He has said in the Bible (2 Timothy 3:16-17). God does not contradict Himself.

Recommended Resource: Hearing God’s Voice by Henry & Richard Blackaby.

The daughter of Martin Luther King Jr. announced recently that she is leaving a megachurch that she has been with for eight years to pursue her own ministry.

Bernice King, the youngest daughter of the late civil rights leader, said in a radio program in Praise 102.5 that she will leave New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, headed by the controversial Bishop Eddie Long, to begin a ministry of her own.

King, who is an ordained minister, did not give details of her plans, but said, “I’m not calling it a church right now,” the AP reported.

Last year Long was sued by four young men who accused him of coercing them into engaging in sex acts with him. However, last week the lawyer for the men said the matter had been “resolved” out of court, Reuters said.

Pastoral calling

When asked about the timing of King’s announcement she said, “I’ve always followed what I believed to be the voice of God and I’ve sought to be obedient to that voice. I know that I have a pastoral calling on my life and I have to accept it. I’m in the process of pursuing that,” The Christian Post reported.

King said on the radio program, “I did what I felt what was appropriate in leadership, which was sit down and talk with him and gave him the timetable of when I would leaving. I didn’t just leave. That was the decision the Holy Spirit placed in my heart, which was Sunday, May 29. I have never wavered from that,” according to The Christian Post.

King also said that she had spoken to Long about her choice to leave so that she could start her own ministry, which she felt a strong leaning to do especially after her mother died in 2006, according to Reuters.

In a statement, Long said that he had been “in discussion and prayer” with King for some time, and that she wished to pursue the legacy of her parents, according to the AP.

Long said in his statement, “I am in full support of her decision to leave New Birth in pursuit of this worthy endeavor. Reverend Bernice King has made tremendous and profound contributions to New Birth as an elder and faithful servant. We ask that you join us in extending unequivocal support and love for Reverend King as she embarks on this new calling,” the AP reported.

Gratitude

King said that she is grateful to Long and to New Birth for having helped her weather many difficult events in her life, in particular the deaths of her mother, Coretta Scott King, and her sister.

King said on the radio program, “I want to thank him and all the New Birth family for all their love and support for all the time I was at New Birth and for all of their prayers,” The Christian Post reported.

A recently-held summit for North American Native people held in Springdale, Ark. became an opportunity for dialogue, understanding and a deeper appreciation of the relevance of the gospel in their setting.

The North American Native People’s Summit was organized by the Southern Baptist Fellowship of Native American Christians, with the intent to bring together Natives and non-natives who are in ministry, according to the Baptist Press.

However, the summit also became an opportunity to give Native American Christians a voice, lend inspiration and encouragement; and to bridge understanding and learning in sharing the gospel among Native peoples, the BP reported.

Some 200 people attended the conference, most of them Native peoples. But non-Natives also came because of their interest in this ministry. The delegates hailed from 31 states and four Canadian provinces. They converged at Cross Church in Ark. For the two-day event that was held late April this year.

Stan Albright, one of the 13-member team that planned the event said told BP, “This is the first time Native peoples have had a setting in which they were free to speak their minds.  And what’s on their minds is their desire to lead their people to the Lord.” Albright is also director of missions for the Baptist Convention of New Mexico.

There were three keynote speakers at the summit, namely Henry Blackaby and his son Richard Blackaby (both recognized for their concern for Native peoples), and Ronnie Floyd, pastor of Cross Church, which plans to plant 50 new churches within three years.

Doug Sarver, who heads Cross Church’s global missions said, “I don’t know anything about reaching Native Americans—yet. Is it okay to say ‘yet’? Maybe the Lord will lead us to connect with you.” Some 2,000 volunteers have signed up with Cross Church for short-term mission trips next year, BP said.

Gateway people

Mark Custalow, a Native from Virginia said that he believes God wants Native Christians to be gateway people to other Natives. He said, “God wants to use us to be a gateway people, to be a blessing to all those who call this nation home,” the BP reported. He shared his experience using “story circles,” to spread the gospel with bible stories.

Alan Dial, a strategist for starting Native churches in Anchorage, Alaska said, “I think we really needed to do this conference. I don’t think Southern Baptists as a whole grasp the breadth of lostness. Native people have needed a voice to tell that story to their Southern Baptist brothers and sisters…. If we’re not praying for each other, we’ve already given up the fight,” the BP reported.

Eugene Baker, pastor of Native American Totah Baptist Church in Farmington, N.M. told BP, “On one end [before the summit] they were saying one thing, that we’d get opportunities to meet people and help people, and when we get here, we learn we are our own resources. That goes along with what I’ve been thinking. The Lord gives me a vision ahead of meetings like these — we just had one in Oklahoma City and then in Albuquerque — and the meetings give me assurance I’m on the right track.”

Testimony

During the summit there was a testimony by Bez Bull Shows of Crow Agency, Mont., of Set Free ministry which ministers to people afflicted with drug and alcohol abuse. Bull Shows said, “I went home for a visit and started rounding up people from the res. Now we have prayer circles and meetings in several homes.”

Another pastor, Jimmy Anderson of Many Springs Baptist Church in Holdenville, Okla., said that missionaries on the reservations have a strong impact on people, and many of those whom they have reached out to on the reservation are leaders today.

Anderson, who has worked in Native ministry since 1956 said, “The early missionaries got the Gospel out and churches started on a scriptural basis. They helped get the churches organized,” the Baptist Press reported.

Anderson told the Baptist Press, “This summit was worthwhile and really needed. One thing we need is a burden to see the scope of the need among our own people. We’ve heard it before but I think we need to keep hearing it.”

Participants agreed that the summit has established a new, fresh start in Native American ministry. As a result, the Southern Baptist Fellowship of Native American Christians decided to have a succeeding event on June 13, at 10 a.m. to noon as one of the activities during the Fellowships annual meeting at the Phoenix Convention Center. All are invited, the BP said.

Rebecca St. James is widely known for having been the voice of purity among Christians since her hit song, “Wait For Me,” was released in 2000. Now, with her recent marriage to Jacob Fink, she will be a voice for marriage.

The Sydney-born singer, who married Jacob Fink in the presence of family and close friends last Saturday, has been as vocal about the importance of unity in marriage, according to her website.

In her website she said of marriage, “I believe both people can be stronger in their calling because of each other. I really see that in Jacob and my individual lives—we are stronger together. We have a real desire to be glorifying to God in our life and marriage.”

The wedding took place at the Junipero Serra Museum in San Diego, California, which is situated near California’s first mission founded in 1769 by Spanish Francisco missionary Fr. Junipero Serra, Christian Today said.

Purity rings

During the ceremony the bride and groom exchanged the purity rings that they had each worn before they married. There was also an exchange of personal, spiritual vows as they committed to serve each other in marriage, followed by the washing of one another’s feet, according to the bride’s website.

The music during the wedding ceremony included the song “You Make Everything Beautiful,” which was performed by the brothers of St. James, namely Joel and Luke. The song, which the bride co-wrote, is included in her newly-released worship album, I Will Praise You, according to her website.

Evie Tornquist Karlsson, longtime spiritual mentor and friend of St. James said, “This was a glorious day of celebration! A marriage ceremony where from beginning to ending Jesus was the absolute focus and the special guest of honor of the bride and groom,” the website reported.

Queen of contemporary Christian music

St. James had been for some 10 years the queen of contemporary Christian music. However, for the last five and a half years she took an informal hiatus. Her album, I Will Praise You (under Reunion Records), marks her musical comeback, Christianity Today said.

During her five-and-a-half year break, St. James focused on writing books such as Wait For Me, S.H.E. and Loved. She is about to finish her ninth book by September, entitled What is He thinking, Christian Today said.

St. James also ventured into acting, and played the lead in the film Sarah’s Choice, a movie with a prolife theme, Christianity Today said.

St. James told Christianity Today that Fink proposed marriage to her on Christmas Day last year. “It was the first time I’ve ever brought a guy home for Christmas; I had spent Thanksgiving with his family,” she recalled.

St. James added, “He kept on saying, ‘This is going to be the best Christmas ever,’ and I was like, ‘Well, I hope you enjoy hanging with my family, and I hope you’re not disappointed.’”

Fink proposed in the backyard of the St. James family’s farm located in Franklin, Tennessee, Christianity Today said. Of the event, St. James said, “It was absolutely magical.”

On her wedding day St. James posted on her Facebook page, “Today has been a very special day for which I waited a long time. I married the love of my life, Jacob. Thanks so much for your prayers and support,” Christian Today reported.

Fink worked as a missionary in South Africa for two years, after which the groom pursued a college degree in film and creative arts at a university in California. He works as a bass player with a band, according to St. James’ website.