Arizona

A megachurch in Glendale, Ariz., unanimously voted Sunday to cut ties with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and will be joining the smaller Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ.

At a congregational meeting following worship, Community Church of Joy voted 129-0 to terminate its affiliation with ELCA as the church’s vision, values and mission are no longer aligned with the nation’s largest Lutheran denomination, according to the Rev. Walter P. Kallestad, senior pastor of the congregation.

"There is such a different direction that the ELCA has chosen, a path they're traveling on, and we really believe that it just was not consistent to where God has called us,” said Kallestad, whose congregation was the 10th largest in ELCA with 6,800 baptized members. more >>

An Arizona pastor who delivered the “Why I Hate Barack Obama” sermon was confronted by about 100 protesters Sunday outside his church near Phoenix.

Protesters at the so-called “Love Rally” denounced Pastor Steven L. Anderson’s sermon – which called on parishioners to pray for the president’s death – as hate speech.

“It’s hard to believe we could have someone of a religious nature wishing our president was dead,” said protester William Crumb to KNXV-TV in Phoenix. more >>

It’s one thing when a clean-cut, homeschooled college football star shares his faith with the media with the hope that fans will follow in his footsteps and his faith.

It’s quite another when an imprisoned rap star who defends his profanity-laden lyrics shares his.

But rapper DMX wants the public to hear him out and withhold judgment. more >>

PHOENIX – Arizona voters have approved a state constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage.

The amendment approved Tuesday was a stripped-down version of a proposal narrowly rejected by state voters two years ago.

State law already bans gay marriage, but the measure's supporters wanted to amend the constitution to prevent any judge from overturning the statute. more >>

PHOENIX – Arizona has been a disappointment to anti-gay marriage activists since 2006, when the state became the first in the nation to reject a ballot measure banning same-sex marriage.

Those same opponents are hoping for redemption Tuesday, when Arizona voters again will have to decide whether they want the state's constitution to be amended to define marriage as a union between one man and one woman.

"It actually helped us out having it fail the first time because it allowed us to raise more money," said state Sen. Ron Gould, a Republican and prime sponsor of this year's measure, which was put on the ballot by the Legislature. "It just motivates people to put the remote down, get out of the La-Z-Boy and do something." more >>