Category: U.S.


U.S.

Zondervan Releases 2011 Digital NIV Bible

Charisma Staff

Want to put the Bible on your iPod? You could download an app, or you could carry the entire 2011 NIV version around in your pocket with you.

Zondervan just launched the first product featuring the updated New International Version of the Bible — a digital e-book. The digital release marks the first time that a new Zondervan Bible translation has launched in a digital format before it is released in print. The printed version is due out March 2011.

U.S.

Sanctified Slide Vies for Guinness Book of World Records

Charisma Staff

Can you do the Sanctified Slide? It’s nothing like “the hustle,” but in Christian circles it may become just as popular. That’s because the so-called Sanctified Slide is vying for a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records.

Next question: What on earth is the Sanctified Slide? It’s a Gospel line dance. You might have to see it to understand it. Click here to watch the video for yourself.

U.S.

Online Dating Site Caters Exclusively to Virgins

Charisma Staff

Online dating is nothing new, but the $1.8 billion industry is growing—and diversifying—by leaps and bounds.

There are dating sites for cheaters, dating sites for millionaires, and dating sites for Christians. The are dating sites for specific ethnic groups, dating sites for divorcees, and dating sites for age groups.

There is even one dating site exclusively for virgins.


U.S.

Christian Groups React to Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Repeal

Charisma Staff

In the wake of the U.S. Senate repealing former President Bill Clinton’s Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell rule, Christian voices from a wide swath of denominations are protesting the decision.

The Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell restricts United States military from efforts to discover or reveal gay, lesbian or bisexual members or applicants. The military still bans applicants who are openly homosexual or bisexual.

Eight Republicans and independent Joe Lieberman agreed with the Democratic Party to repeal the legislation by a 65-31 margin last week. President Barack Obama is expected to sign the bill into law before the end of 2010.

U.S.

U.S. Churches Feel Offerings Pinch

Charisma Staff

moneyThe recession may have officially ended in June 2009, but its ripple effect is just catching up to some churches. So says a study from LifeWay Research.

Although Protestant churches felt moderate impacts of the recession during the last two years, the offering plate is coming up thin in 2010. With offerings declining, 79 percent of pastors say the economy is making a negative impact on their churches.

It’s the third year in a row where more churches are seeing fewer offerings than the year before. According to LifeWay, 34 percent of churches report receiving less offering this year than in 2009, as compared to 23 percent in 2009 that received less than in 2008, and 19 percent in 2008 that received less than in 2007.

U.S.

White House Turns to Religious Leaders for DREAM Act Support

Charisma Staff

white houseThe White House is calling on religious leaders to help make the DREAM Act a reality. The White House hosted a call on Thursday morning with rabbis, pastors and Christian leaders who hope to convince at least 60 United States senators to pass the bipartisan legislation before Congress takes its holiday break.

The DREAM Act is legislation that would give students who grew up in the U.S. a chance to contribute to the nation’s well-being by serving in the U.S. armed forces or pursuing a higher education. The limited, targeted legislation would allow only the best and brightest young people to earn their legal status after a rigorous and lengthy process. It applies to those brought to the United States as minors through no fault of their own by their parents.

U.S.

Once-Paralyzed Pastor Knox Dances at Holiday Celebration

Charisma Staff

Remember Delia Knox, the music minister who stood up and walked out of a wheelchair that held her captive for 22 years? Well, now she’s not only walking — she’s dancing.

Knox, a popular singer who pastors Living World Christian Center in Mobile, Ala., with her husband, Bishop Levy Knox, had been paralyzed since a car accident on Christmas Day 1987. A video captured her miraculous healing at the Bay of the Holy Spirit Revival at the Mobile Convention Center in September.

On Thursday night, the Knoxes will host “A Night With the King Celebrating the Miracle.” The night has been organized to celebrate the miracle God performed in Knox’s life. A tweet Knox distributed said, “It’s Time to Dance! One Night With the King! A Christmas Celebration 23 years in the making!” The celebration will feature artist Adlan Cruz at The Battle House Hotel Crystal Ballroom.

U.S.

Some Said It Thundered: Why Some People Don’t Believe Even After They See

Charisma Staff

On Aug. 27, 2010, I watched a miracle happen. There are all kinds of miracles, from the unforgettable birth of a child, to the eternal, grace-filled miracle of someone giving their heart to Jesus, which is the greatest miracle of all. I have seen both and I bow before God in thanks. But on this particular night, I saw another miracle, something I had heard about, but had never witnessed. I saw the lame walk. And so did hundreds of other people in the room. Since that night, more than 160,000 other people have also been witnesses to that same miracle through the Internet.

On Monday, August 23, I called my friend Bishop Levy Knox and asked if he had been to the meetings in downtown Mobile, Ala., that had now been named the Bay of the Holy Spirit Revival. Levy had just returned from a trip out of the country, and he had not yet attended, though he wanted to given a long relationship with Pastor John Kilpatrick, in whose church the meetings had begun. That same church, Church of His Presence, was now graciously hosting these citywide meetings every Thursday through Saturday evenings. Levy said that he would check with his wife, Delia, and possibly meet me there on Friday.

They did come, and what a meeting it was. Before the evening was over, Delia, paralyzed below the waist and wheelchair bound for more than 22 years, got out of her chair and walked.

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