Adrienne S. Gaines

Dennis Tinerino, a champion bodybuilder who later became an international evangelist, died Friday after an 18-month battle with stomach cancer. He was 64. A former Mr. America and four-time Mr. Universe, Tinerino was a bodybuilding star and actor during the 1960s and 1970s. The Brooklyn native competed with Arnold Schwarzenegger for the title of Mr.…

Islamic militants have killed another leader of the underground church movement in Somalia, sources said. Before he was fatally shot on May 4 in Xarardheere, about 37 miles from Jowhar, 57-year-old Yusuf Ali Nur had been on a list of people the Islamic extremist al Shabaab suspected of being Christian, sources who spoke on condition…

Florida pro-life groups are calling on Gov. Charlie Crist to sign a bill they say may be the most important pro-life legislation in the state's history. The hotly debated HB 1143 passed 76-44 in the Florida House Friday and in the Senate 23-16. The measure requires that women seeking abortions get a $400 ultrasound beforehand…

Organizers say this year's National Day of Prayer may have more participation than any other in recent history now that the observance is under fire. "I really believe this is going to be one of the strongest—if not the strongest—showing and outpouring of prayer that you've seen for an observance of the National Day of…

 The District of Columbia Court of Appeals heard arguments Tuesday in a lawsuit seeking a ballot initiative to allow Washington, D.C., residents to vote on the definition of marriage.If passed, the ballot initiative, filed by leaders with the Stand4MarriageDC Coalition, would repeal a law passed in December legalizing gay marriage in the district. The law…

Nationally known pastor and youth leader Blaine Bartel has resigned as pastor of the Dallas-area church he founded after acknowledging he'd had an affair. Bartel, who launched 600-member Northstar Church in 2006, stepped down March 31, saying he had been unfaithful to his marriage vows, the Dallas Morning News reported. Bartel, 49, and his wife,…

Participants from three continents gathered in San Remo, Italy, Sunday to mark the 90th anniversary of the signing of a resolution that created a legal foundation for Israel's statehood. Deputy Speaker of Israel's Knesset Danny Danon and Italian Member of Parliament Fiamma Nirenstein were among those who returned to the site where the Allied powers of…

Priests for Life announced in a press conference today that it is kicking off a Freedom Ride campaign to help raise awareness about abortion and other acts that "destroy" human life.    The ride is based on a movement that began in 1961 when 13 individuals boarded a bus headed from Washington, D.C., to New Orleans.…

A Christian-owned company exploring for oil in Israel plans to expand its drilling operations through a partnership that includes the purchase a 2,000-horsepower drilling rig. In a deal announced this week, Zion Oil & Gas will form a subsidiary tentatively called Zion Drilling Inc. through a partnership with Aladdin Middle East Ltd. (AME). The arrangement…

Charismatic pastor Don Finto is being honored this week for his legacy through 60 years of ministry as he marks his 80th birthday. Messianic worship leader Marty Goetz and contemporary Christian musician Michael W. Smith will be among those paying tribute Thursday to the former pastor of Belmont Church in Nashville, Tenn., who turned 80…

The man who coined the name Earth Day was a Pentecostal minister who thought the observance would help promote peace and unity. According to the Assemblies of God (AG) Heritage magazine, 95-year-old John McConnell Jr., a longtime Pentecostal and peace activist, first proposed the idea for Earth Day in 1969. His plan was to mark…

A Christian conference challenging men to become mighty men of God drew at least 250,000 men and boys to Greytown, South Africa, last weekend. Hosted by farmer turned evangelist Angus Buchan, the Mighty Men Conference was the largest gathering at his farm, known as Shalom Ministries, since he launched the event seven years ago. Some…

A Wisconsin federal judge has ruled that the National Day of Prayer is unconstitutional. In her 66-page opinion Thursday, U.S. District Court District Judge Barbara B. Crabb wrote that the prayer day violates the separation of church and state. More than merely acknowledging religion, she said the day's purpose "is to encourage all citizens to…

Thousands of Christian students are participating in the sixth annual Day of Truth Thursday, a student-led initiative that seeks to encourage peer-level conversations about relationships and biblical sexuality. The event, sponsored by Exodus International, is a response to the annual Day of Silence, an event created by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN)…