Adrienne S. Gaines

March 9, 2009 --The wife of Christian musician Michael Sweet died Thursday after a two-year battle with ovarian cancer. She was 52. Sweet, who co-founded the Christian hard-rock band Stryper in 1983, had asked fans to pray for Kyle Rae Sweet, his wife of 22 years, in an open letter sent in January.

March 9, 2009 -- An Illinois pastor was killed Sunday when a gunman entered the church and opened fire during the first of three morning worship services. The Rev. Fred Winters, pastor of First Baptist Church of Maryville, deflected the first of four bullets with his Bible, causing pages to fly "like confetti," witnesses told…

March 6, 2009 -- Christian observers say they are encouraged about the fate of California's Proposition 8 at the conclusion of oral arguments heard before the state Supreme Court Thursday. "Of course, we can never be certain how a court will rule until the decision is actually issued, but today's arguments were very encouraging for…

March 5, 2009 -- Christians are carefully watching the California Supreme Court, which today hears oral arguments in a case challenging the validity of Proposition 8, a ballot measure that defines marriage as the union of one man and one woman. The proposition passed in November with 52 percent of the vote, overturning the state…

Abortion clinic owner Belkis Gonzalez was arrested yesterday on two felony counts related to the 2006 death of a baby born alive during a botched abortion in Florida. March 4, 2009 — Miami-area police yesterday arrested an abortion clinic owner accused of killing a baby unexpectedly born alive at 21 weeks during a botched abortion.…

Pro-life leaders have vowed to oppose Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius' confirmation as Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary, saying her abortion record is extreme and out of touch with mainstream America. Nominated yesterday by President Obama, the two-term Democratic governor has worked to expand health care in her Republican-leaning state and has a reputation for forging…

  Portland-area churches launched the second Season of Service with a $100,000 gift to the city. March 3, 2009 -- Churches in Portland, Ore., launched their second "Season of Service" last week by giving the city a check for $100,000. Evangelist Luis Palau, often described as the Billy Graham of Latin America, presented the gift…

March 2, 2009 -- An Atlanta businessman plans to auction off more than 15,000 hours of Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker's The PTL Club TV shows, the Associated Press (AP) reported. PTL, which stood for "Praise the Lord," aired from 1974 to 1987 and was the flagship program of the Bakkers' Heritage USA ministry, a…

Ugandan Christians are participating in a 40-day prayer campaign to end child sacrifice, which has been on the rise in recent years. March 2, 2009 - Ugandan Christians are using the 40 days of Lent, which began on Wednesday, to pray for an end to child sacrifice, a practice that in recent years has been…

North Dakota's personhood bill, which defines a fertilized egg as a person, is one of several pro-life measures to make state-level gains. Feb. 27 2009 -- Pro-life legislation advanced in several states this week. On Wednesday, the Arizona House Health and Human Services Committee unanimously endorsed a Republican-sponsored bill that would require a pre-abortion waiting…

A study by the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability found that 72 percent of surveyed ministries met, exceeded or came near their fourth-quarter contribution goals. Feb. 24, 2009 -- Despite the economic recession, ministry giving was higher than expected, according to a recent survey by the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA). In a survey…

Christians worldwide are praying for global poverty issues as part of Tearfund's Global Poverty Prayer Week, which begins today. February 23, 2009 -- Thousands of Christians in the United Kingdom are joining believers worldwide this week in praying for the world's poor. As part of its Global Poverty Prayer Week, which begins today and lasts…

Worship leader Chris Tomlin leads this year's Dove Award nominees with seven nods, including Song of the Year for "Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone)." February 23, 2009 -- Worship artist Chris Tomlin leads this year's list of Dove Award nominees with seven nods, including ones for Artist of the Year, Male Vocalist of the…

The Florida House of Representatives issued a letter today calling on State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle to seek justice for an infant born alive then killed at a Miami-area abortion clinic. Feb. 20, 2009 -- Members of the Florida House of Representatives issued a letter today calling on State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle to seek…