Illinois

A summer festival that has helped launched the careers of many Christian artists, including Sixpence None the Richer, Jars of Clay, Newsboys and One Bad Pig, is calling it quits after 29 years due to the poor economy and financial difficulties. This year will be its last.

Cornerstone Festival, hosted by Jesus People, USA (JPUSA), has taken place in Illinois every year since 1984. One of the first festivals featured Amy Grant early in her career. The Christian festival has biblically-based seminars, an art show, kids programs, a skate park and sports tournaments. But the main focus has been the music. Originally, Cornerstone Festival was held in Chicago but quickly outgrew the venue there. It has since been held in Bushnell, Ill., a rural location west of Peoria, Ill. The last festival will be July 2 to 7.

"The truth of the matter is we would be on board for continuing to do it. We've been doing it for so many years, it's really become a part of who we are as a church, as an organization. We would love to continue doing it, but we're just not seeing the ticket sales we need to pay for it each year," Genesis Winter, a member of JPUSA and one of the festival organizers, told The Christian Post in a Monday interview. more >>

At least 45 protesters were arrested and four police officers injured on Sunday during protests outside the 2012 NATO Summit in Chicago, according to authorities.

Protesters and officers clashed at the McCormick Place convention center, the largest convention center in the United States, where the diplomatic forum was held.

The protests, attended by about 3,000 people marching against various grievances including the war in Afghanistan, climate change, and economic inequality, turned violent after city police called on protesters nearing the convention center to disperse or risk arrest. more >>

Bible teacher Tom Meyer, a member of Wordsower International Ministries, an organization focused on spreading the Gospel through reciting entire books of the Bible, shared with The Christian Post why he believes memorization is so important when it comes to preaching the Good News.

Meyer has practiced his art all over America and spent more than 10 years perfecting his skills. He is currently preparing for a performance Sunday, April 15 at Shoaff Park Baptist Church in Fort Wayne, Ind., where he will recite the entire Book of Revelation, the prophetic last book of the Bible.

"One of the main reasons the Bible was given to man was recorded in Joshua 1:8, and it says 'This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth but thou shall meditate therein day and night.' The rest of the verse goes on to describe meditating on the word of God, and the only way to do that is to call up Him from your heart and think ... and mediate [on] the words that you memorized." more >>

A group of prison and jail Christian ministry volunteers from Illinois are combating the nation's skyrocketing incarceration rates and failing prisoner release programs by launching the state's first Bible college within a prison – hoping to be a model for the rest of the U.S.

Having witnessed the changed lives and positive impact from prisoners who have accepted Jesus Christ within several state prison systems, the volunteers from Willow Creek Community Church in the Chicago area are determined to stand in the gap where government cannot help, they said.

The Divine Hope Reformed Bible Seminary officially opened its doors at the Danville Correctional Center on March 10. The seminary offers a fully accredited two-year course, administered by The Miami International Theological Seminary, with plans to expand to a four-year degree program. more >>

A Wheaton College professor was arrested Thursday for possession of child pornography. Police also found two unlicensed handguns in his home.

Donald Ratcliff, 60, has been a professor of Christian education at Wheaton since 2006. He also has an educational background in childhood development and taught classes and wrote books about children's spirituality.

A statement from Wheaton College on Thursday read, "Wheaton College was informed this afternoon by the DuPage County State's Attorney's Office that Donald Ratcliff, a professor at the College, was charged with two counts of Aggravated Child Pornography. Dr. Ratcliff has been placed on administrative leave." more >>

A Chicago pastor who spent three months living on the rooftop of a motel trying to collect enough money to demolish the building, a center of drug violence in the neighborhood, is finally coming down after director Tyler Perry promised to donate $98,000 to the cause.

The Rev. Corey Brooks of New Beginnings Church of Chicago's mission was to gather the $450,000 needed to buy the former motel, bring it down, and build a new community center in its place, which would provide youths a chance to learn and develop skills for finding careers.

He had been up there since Nov. 22, 2011. According to the Chicago News Scoop, the 42-eyar-old Brooks only left the rooftop for funerals and to console victims – such as one instance in December in which he spent three hours consoling a mother whose teenage son had been killed in a drive-by shooting. more >>