Adrienne S. Gaines

Healing evangelist Charles Edward Hunter died in his Houston-area home Monday night after being in frail health for several years. He was 89. Hunter and his wife, Frances, spent nearly 40 years leading healing crusades worldwide before her death last July at age 93. Known as the Happy Hunters, the couple wrote numerous books on…

Christian broadcasters are mourning the loss of Cornerstone TeleVision President Ron Hembree, who died in his home June 10 from an unknown illness. He was 72. Frank Wright, president of the National Religious Broadcasters (NRB), said Hembree, who served on the group's board, was an "encourager, teacher, godly example and friend" whose "steady leadership and…

As up to 2.5 million gallons of oil pour daily into the Gulf of Mexico with no end in sight, Christians touring the region this week are offering the one thing they believe will make a difference: prayer.The Rev. Mitch Hescox, president of the Evangelical Environmental Network (EEN), began the Gulf Spill Prayer Walk Monday…

The King's College and Seminary, one of the first charismatic seminaries founded on the West Coast, announced its university status Sunday during graduation ceremonies held at its main campus in suburban Los Angeles. School officials said they met accreditation requirements to achieve university status several years ago, but proceeded with the name change this year to…

Atlanta-area pastor Bryant White was elected president of the Southern Baptist Convention Tuesday during the denomination's annual meeting being held this week in Orlando, Fla. The pastor of Johnson Ferry Baptist Church in Marietta, Ga., defeated pastor Ted Traylor of Olive Baptist Church in Pensacola, Fla., in a runoff election, earning 55 percent of the…

Younger Christians are largely opposed to abortion, a new study reports. According to a Barna Group survey released Monday, 61 percent of 18- to 44-year-old born again Christians say abortion should be illegal in all or most cases, compared with 55 percent of Christians older than age 45.Unlike older believers, younger Christians were more likely…

Florida Gov. Charlie Crist on Friday vetoed a bill that had been described as the most significant pro-life measure in the state's history. HB 1143 required women seeking abortions to obtain an ultrasound beforehand and have the image explained to them. The bill also prohibited private health insurers that receive state or federal subsidies from…

A Dallas-area pastor is calling prodigals home through a website that has received tens of thousands of hits since it launched last year. Steve Hill, pastor of Heartland Church in Irving, Texas, said thousands have returned to faith in Christ since he started ProdigalsOnly.com in April 2009. "They write us from all over the world,"…

Pro-life advocates are making a last-ditch effort to lobby Florida Gov. Charlie Crist to sign "landmark" legislation that requires women seeking abortions to undergo an ultrasound. HB 1143 passed in the Florida Legislature April 30 and was put on Crist's desk this week. He has until June 22 to sign or veto the measure, but…

The son of a founder of Hamas who converted to Christianity and sought political asylum in the U.S. is facing deportation. Mossad Hassan Yousef is scheduled to appear in a San Diego immigration court June 30 because the Department of Homeland Security considers him a threat to national security.

A South African church leader is confident that God answers prayer, and he has a statistic to prove it: 840,000.That's the number of people Peter Sekhonyane says have come to Christ in the six years since churches in his area began leading 24-7 "prayer watches."  "Our aim is that before the end of the year…

During conference calls Thursday with Christian groups, Israeli officials defended the Jewish nation's action against a flotilla of aid ships that left nine pro-Palestinian activists dead. On a call with more than 3,000 participants affiliated with Christians United for Israel (CUFI), Deputy Foreign Minister Daniel Ayalon (pictured) said the flotilla's sponsor, a Turkey-based charity known…

More than three years after stepping down as pastor of the 14,000-member congregation he founded in Colorado Springs, Colo., Ted Haggard announced that he is starting a new church in the same city even though he once agreed not to start a church within 100 miles. Flanked by his wife, Gayle, and their four children,…

The Foursquare Church, a Pentecostal denomination founded in 1927 by evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson, has named Glenn Burris Jr. as its new president. Burris was elected Tuesday afternoon during the church's annual convention being held this week in Atlanta. He has served as the denomination's interim president since September after former President Jack Hayford, founding…