IDYLLWILD, Calif. – The subject of intercessory prayer for healing was a bit foreign for Bible study leader Alan Huggett. When his small group arrived at the Center for Prayer Mobilization located in the San Jacinto Mountains for a weekend retreat he was not sure what to expect. Neither did the rest of the group.

"Not really having any experience with intercessory prayer, and it wasn't really taught too much in my upbringing in the church, it was something new to me. However, I did go in with an open mind," said Huggett, 43, who had previously attended a Presbyterian church, then a Mennonite Brethren church, and now a nondenominational congregation in Southern California.

During the retreat at the center led by Pastor Tim Price, Huggett and the others listened to biblical teachings on letting go of resentment and emotional pain from past experiences in their lives. They were also "prayed over" by Price, his wife, and an assistant during intense prayer sessions that included the laying of hands on a few members of the Bible study for physical and emotional healing. more >>

Three top Hollywood starlets appear in a new television ad criticizing GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney for his pro-life stance, and urge Americans to vote for President Barack Obama in the upcoming November elections.

"If you think this election won't affect you and your life, think again," says Scarlett Johansson, who most recently starred in the 2012 superhero hit Marvel's "The Avengers", and has been active in gathering support for Obama.

The ad, sponsored by Move On, a progressive liberal activist group, also features Eva Longoria and Kerry Washington, who each remind viewers that Romney has promised to cut funding to Planned Parenthood, the largest abortion provider in the country. Johansson notes that this will also hamper cancer screening programs that Planned Parenthood provides. more >>

The Pacific Justice Institute filed a lawsuit on Tuesday against the City of Santa Monica, Calif., which decided in June to put an end to a 60-year tradition of allowing Nativity displays to be set up in a public park.

Brad Dacus, president of PJI, told The Christian Post on Friday that it was "anti-religious intolerance" by some individuals that ultimately made the suit necessary. Individuals have a right to reject religious holidays, he says, but they should not be permitted to silence the religious expression of others.

"This park in question has functioned as a traditional public forum in the past, and no city can arbitrarily shut down a traditional public forum that has already been established ... The traditional public forum, based on established case law, recognizes the free speech rights of individuals to express themselves in such forums. This park is no exception, whether the city likes it or not," said Dacus. more >>

IRVINE, Calif. – Christian hip-hop star Lecrae (Lecrae Moore) set his musical artist persona aside during a leadership conference recently to talk about the subject of engaging American culture in a non-typical, yet Christian way in order to further the Gospel.

"I think we don't engage culture because we're scared. We don't want it corrupting our kids. I think we're scared because ultimately we're still caught up in a sacred-secular divide," said Lecrae, who is also a ministry leader, to a crowd of more than 2,000 church leaders Thursday at the Resurgence Conference (R12) at Mariners Church in Irvine, Calif.

"We are still caught up in the reality that everything is broken up in two and if you go too far here you are going to get messed up," he said. "There is a sacred-secular divide that hinders us from impacting culture." more >>

IRVINE, Calif., – Author and pastor Mark Driscoll gave a glimpse into the subject of his next book by discussing what it means for a Christian to have an identity "in Christ" while speaking during the closing session of a two-day leadership conference.

"Most people, even those who are Christian, don't have a very good sense of who they are in Christ," said Driscoll to a crowd of more than 2,000 church leaders Thursday at the Resurgence Conference (R12) at Mariners Church in Irvine, Calif.

After talking about how people often describe their identity by way of things such as their achievements, duties, and material possessions, he said, "Your identity is in this constant state of chaos and change and influenced sometimes positively and sometimes negatively. What this leads to is a very inconsistent emotional and spiritual life. These are the things that may explain you, but they do not define you." more >>

IRVINE, Calif. – Speaking on the subject of preaching about Jesus at a leadership conference in Southern California, evangelist and pastor Greg Laurie said he is concerned that churches that are moving away from making sermons the focal point of a worship service are not presenting the full Gospel.

"The trend at a lot of churches today is to move away from preaching. We all got our drama, and our video roll-in, and … we have our message, but it's sort of like a sermon-ette which I fear is creating a 'Christian-ette,'" said Laurie during the opening session of the two-day Resurgence Conference (R12) on Tuesday. "I'm saying that we need to return to biblical preaching."

Laurie was invited to be one of eight speakers at the conference held at Mariners Church in Irvine by Resurgence leadership ministry founder Pastor Mark Driscoll. The event is organized and hosted by Driscoll's Seattle-based Mars Hill Church. more >>