Colorado

Focus on the Family got to work this week in explaining in detail why it pulled from its website an interview with a Mormon author.

“We intended no insult,” expressed ministry spokesman Gary Schneeberger, in a statement. “[W]e merely miscalculated on how best to feature Glenn [Beck], whom we greatly appreciate.”

Last week, some time before Christmas celebrations, Focus on the Family took down the interview with Beck amid complaints from the evangelical community over the former CNN host’s Mormon ties. more >>

Conservative ministry Focus on the Family has removed from its website an article about the latest book by former CNN host Glenn Beck in response to complaints over his Mormon ties.

“Mr. Beck is a member of the Mormon church, and … we did not make mention of this fact in our interview with him,” reads a statement prepared for the ministry’s receptionists, according to Joel Campbell, the Mormon media observer for the MormonTimes.

“We do recognize the deep theological difference between evangelical theology and Mormon theology, and it would have been prudent for us at least to have pointed out these differences,” receptionists are instructed to say to those who call in about the missing article on the ministry’s CitizenLink website. “Because of the confusion, we have removed the interview from CitizenLink." more >>

The most well-known pro-family group announced this week that it eliminated 202 jobs to counterbalance the drop in donations caused by the sharp economic downturn.

A total of 149 workers were laid off and another 53 vacant positions were cut at Focus on the Family, according to Colorado Springs-based newspaper The Gazette. The job cuts represent the largest of its kind in the 32-year history of the Colorado Springs-based ministry.

Now, the ministry has about 950 staffs, down from 1,150. A significant portion of the cuts are in management (20 percent). more >>

The National Council of Churches USA held its annual General Assembly this week in Denver where topics of discussion ranged from Christian unity to racial justice.

Under the theme “Jesus Said … Whoever is Not Against You is For You,” the three-day meeting that closed on Thursday focused on overcoming divisions in the secular world as well as within the Christian body.

Prominent theologian Dr. Gary Dorrien, Reinhold Niebuhr professor of Social Ethics at Union Theological Seminary and professor of Religion at Columbia University in New York, gave the message for the opening session on Tuesday. more >>

Ex-evangelical leader Ted Haggard, who fell from grace after the exposure of his sex and drug scandal two years ago, recently opened up about the dark secret from his past that likely led to his downfall as an adult.

He spoke at Open Bible Fellowship Church, a small congregation in Morrison, Ill., on Nov. 2 – the second anniversary of his resignation as president of the 30 million-member National Association of Evangelicals.

The church’s pastor, Chris Byrd, is a long-time friend of Haggard of over 30 years. more >>

Christian right leader Dr. James Dobson said he is currently in a grieving process over the presidential election result, which he said is a huge setback for the pro-life movement.

“I want to admit that I am in the midst of a grieving process at this time,” Dobson said on the Focus on the Family radio broadcast on Thursday. “I’m not grieving over Barack Obama’s victory, but over the loss of things that I’ve fought for, for 35 years.”

In particular, he pointed to Obama’s commitment to abortion rights and advancement of the homosexual agenda. more >>